The Girl That Sirius Left Behind
by Quillz
Summary: Dumbledore has hired a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor with a fondness for Sirius, bewitched motorcycles and quite possibly, Severus. Action, humor, just enough romance & OoTP spoilers aplenty. You won't be disappointed! Please read & review!
1. The New Professor

Disclaimer: All characters and universe from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling and assorted corporations. Original characters and story belong to the author.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Harry gazed out across the placid surface of Hogwarts ground's pond feeling sluggish and slightly sweaty. It was an unusually warm afternoon in late September and he, Ron and Hermione were whiling away some last few minutes of break time before their next class began.  
  
"Why are we even meeting anyway?" Ron grumbled from the shade of the large cypress they sat under. "It's pretty useless without a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Dumbledore should just give us the period off; it'd be a nice break. We've been working like house elves around here getting back into the routine of things with schoolwork and all. Last year was a cinch compared to this year; it just keeps getting bloody worse."  
  
In truth, the last few Defense Against the Dark Arts classes had been less than productive. The first month of class, Harry and several members from the D.A. club had taken the reins and caught the rest of their classmates up to speed with the spells they already had learned the previous year during their secret meetings under Professor Umbridge's reign of terror. However, the last two classes had shown them that their fellow students were slowly catching up. As a result, instead of practicing harder they spent half of the class spell casting and the other half chatting and goofing off. Harry wanted to say something but at the same time he didn't want to look like a self-appointed leader of the class so he mostly kept silent, practicing with Ron, Hermione or Neville Longbottom. As of late, Harry found that he enjoyed sparring with Neville the most. Secretly, he thought Longbottom was slowly moving ahead of the others in class. Since their fight against Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic last year, Harry had watched Neville's aim, power and speed all improve with unnerving results. Neville, Harry believed, was determined to never miss a single mark ever again.  
  
But all that could not have been further from Harry's mind on this particular lethargic afternoon. He drowsed in the slow heat of the day, his eyelids drooping. Missing a class'd be nice for once. It feels so right, here- maybe just a quick nap-  
  
"Didn't you hear at breakfast this morning? Dumbledore promised the new professor would arrive before the end of the day. She might come during our class and if she does I certainly want to meet her." Hermione's insistent voice broke Harry's reverie and jerked him back awake. He had heard the announcement this morning too, sitting next to Hermione at breakfast in the Great Hall. Harry also seemed to remember that Ron had been late getting downstairs as he couldn't find his wand.  
  
"She?" Ron asked, curiously. "Dumbledore said it was a she? What'd else he say? Certainly not another Umbridge, I would hope."  
  
Hermione shrugged. "That's all. He didn't say her name either."  
  
"Well whoever she is, I just hope she's good. If we're gonna get Auror positions at the Minis-"  
  
BANG!  
  
The noise startled the three along with all the students who were lounging around the pond. All of them looked towards where the loud noise had come from. The bang seemed to have originated from a spot just over the school's front gates and was now replaced by a faint putting noise that was getting closer.  
  
All eyes on the green lawn watched as a fierce black motorcycle screamed around the corner and entered the Hogwarts gates. Upon entering school grounds, the chopper reduced its speed considerably and chuffed up easily to the school's front entrance. The rider pulled to a slow halt at the base of the school stairs and a tall, shapely female form unfolded herself from the bike. The figure moved with an easy grace and wore what seemed to be a form-fitting one piece made from what could only be black dragon skin. Her legs were tucked into a large pair of clunky black biker boots that made her feet look twice their size and a sleek black helmet hid her face from view as a few second-years descended the steps staring at he, their eyes wide with wonder.  
  
"Geez," Ron breathed, "did Dumbledore say anything about that?" Hermione's elbow somehow seemed to jab uncontrollably into Ron's ribs.  
  
"Ow. Sorry." Ron grimaced and rubbed his side.  
  
Harry rose and headed toward the front entrance with the two quickly falling in tow, just as curious as he was. As they approached, they watched Dumbledore appeared in the grand doorway and stop at the head of the stairs, beaming down at their new arrival.  
  
"Praline," he said softly. Dumbledore smiled widely and he held out his arms.  
  
While Harry and the others did not hear her name, her voice carried over to them when she looked up and saw Dumbledore.  
  
"Grandpapa!" she called out excitedly. She tore off her helmet and a long tangled mane of auburn hair fell to her waist. Harry still had not seen her face but surprisingly, the rear view was almost as exciting. The woman ran up the steps taking them two at a time and into the waiting arms of their headmaster. The two met in the middle of the stairs and she threw her arms around him in a long hug.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione quickened their pace at the scene, their curiosity propelling them. Dumbledore and the woman broke apart and began exchanging words rapidly, still smiling; her hand remaining warmly on his shoulder. They spoke only to each other for a few moments and then acknowledged the crowd gathering before them. The young woman smiled at the gathering children, greeting a few of them standing near her. Dumbledore noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione approaching and waved them over.  
  
"Students, I'd like you to meet your new temporary professor for the next year. This is Praline Dumbledore. She is my granddaughter."  
  
Harry was dumbfounded. Dumbledore had a granddaughter? The surprised look on Ron and Hermione's faces matched his own. He immediately realized he had never thought about the possibility that Dumbledore might have a real blood family. Harry had grown accustomed to the idea that the students at Hogwarts were his family. Feeling a little chagrined at himself for never having thought of this before, he smiled back at Dumbledore and the pretty woman standing right in front of him.  
  
"Hello. Nice to meet you Pra- Professor uh, Dumbledore?" Harry looked from her to his headmaster, who he had always, before today, called Professor as well. The two Professors looked at each other and giggled.  
  
"It seems that there are two Dumbledore's under this roof once more, my dear Pralina," said Albus Dumbledore with a glitter in his eye.  
  
Praline hugged her grandfather's arm and smiled into his eyes. "As it should be granpapa, as it should be." She turned back to Harry and held out a hand. "How about Professor Praline for now, unless we think of something better later on."  
  
Harry shook her hand and saw the look of recognition take place in her eyes. Praline grinned even wider. "Harry! I'd know that Potter hair anywhere. Nice tah meet'cha Harry, how are you? I feel like I know you already, granpapa speaks very fondly of you." Her grip was strong and firm and Harry felt a pleasant twist inside his stomach that made him smile and squirm at the same time. He felt her make a slow mental assessment of him with her eyes and wondered if he measured up.  
  
"Thanks. It's nice to meet you too. Uh, this is-"  
  
"You must be Ron and Hermione. Nice to meet you both," she reached forward and shook hands with them both. "Ron, I love Weasleys' Whizarding Wheezes. I go there all the time, your brothers are hysterical. They tell me you've become a fine keeper these days, eh?" Ron blushed furiously, completely taken off guard at the notion that this beautiful creature had heard of him.  
  
"Yea, I, uh, like the Whizbie businee, I mean ness, business-" Ron broke off, mortified and settled on nodding and smiling, his face as red as his hair.  
  
Praline gave no notice to his embarrassment but instead turned towards Hermione. "Hermione, Professor Dumbledore told me you've joined the Freedom of Magical Creatures Movement. I went to a grassroots rally not too long ago. Remind me later to give you some literature I picked up, I'd be happy to share it with you."  
  
Hermione beamed, already completely won over. "Ooh, yes, that'd be lovely, thanks!"  
  
The other children leaned in, eager to introduce themselves to the new professor and her bike. Harry took a moment to observe her. Praline seemed easy-going around the rest of the children, greeting the shy first- years that hung back while exchanging a few quick greetings with the taller, older students. Dumbledore's granddaughter, quite simply put, was gorgeous. She was maybe an inch taller than Harry, who had just shot up several inches over the summer and had become quite lanky. With her motorcycle helmet now clenched under her arm, Harry saw a smooth, olive- skinned face with almond-shaped green eyes that seemed to bore into his brain and rendered him stupid. Harry could not help but feel that there was something about her face that seemed just slightly out of place. Praline looked nothing like Dumbledore but almost like a fairy grown to human-size. Her face was heart-shaped and when Harry caught a glimpse of what he thought were her ears, he could have sworn they were slightly pointed at the tops.  
  
His right hand self-consciously came up and smoothed his unruly hair down which popped back up again almost immediately. Ron and Hermione stood next to him and they moved forward with the rest of the crowd into the Great Hall.  
  
"Come on, we'd better hurry, don't want to be late for class," Ron hurried ahead of them up the steps.  
  
Hermione looked up and him and shook her head in wry wonder. "Well that's a bloody first."  
  
In the entrance, Harry slowly worked his way forward until he found himself alongside Praline once more. She noticed him almost at once and laid a friendly hand on his shoulder. "So how's everything going, Harry? I just want you to know, I'm heartbroken about your godfather. Snuffles was a wonderful man and one of my closest friends," she spoke in a lowered voice closely above his ear so the other students could not catch what she was saying to him. They walked at a rapid clip through the halls to the DADA classroom. The new professor seemed to instinctively know where she was heading.  
  
At her words, Harry's heart soared. She knew Sirius!, he thought to himself excitedly. Full of questions he turned to face her as they ascended the steps with a small crowd following them to class. Dumbledore walked in silence beside Praline, content to let her form a quick bond with his best student.  
  
"You knew Sirius! Did you know my father-?"  
  
Praline smiled what Harry thought was the most dazzling smile he had ever seen and she held up a finger to cut him off. She placed a warm hand on Harry's back to steer him towards the doorway of their classroom. At the door she turned to him.  
  
"I promise you Harry, we'll have plenty of time to tell stories later and I promise, I will tell them to you," she said emphatically. "But now, we have a class to teach and I happen to know there is quite a bit you all should know by now that you don't . . . including you." Praline assumed a slightly more professor-like air and waved him into the classroom. "So let's use our time as best we can, shall we?"  
  
Harry grinned wider than he had all year. He was satisfied that they would talk more at a later time and headed toward his seat with the others already filing into the class.  
  
Even though she had just arrived, Praline promised to be an interesting professor. Upon entering the classroom, she immediately began with a hurried whirlwind of activity.  
  
"Hello everyone, settle down, settle down." She spoke a few hurried words with Dumbledore outside in the hall before re-entering the classroom. The students fell silent almost at once.  
  
"Alright, everyone. Sorry I'm late. For those of you who live entirely in the wizarding world, you should be sheer joyful of the fact that you never have to face Muggle traffic. It is, quite possibly, one of the most annoying things on the face of the earth. Now, who here has mastered a Petronus?" Their new professor took on a clipped, business-like tone that was not threatening but still prompted then to straighten up in their chairs somewhat.  
  
Almost every hand shot up into the air. Praline gave a serious but pleased nod.  
  
"Disarming spell?"  
  
Every hand was raised now.  
  
"Who here can perform at least five of the elementary hexes?" she asked.  
Every hand stayed raised. Harry looked over at Neville who held his hand in the air, a serious look on his face.  
  
"Very good. I can see this class has learned a few things. Well, I will slowly make my way through this class to make sure you're all truly up to par on all those things but for now since we seem on our game let's move forward. In the coming months some of you may find this class to be very challenging; you may not find yourself doing as you did perhaps last year. But if that is the case then most likely, that means you doing it correctly. Defense Against the Dark Arts should never be an easy subject to master. There is always someone out there who may be better, stronger and faster then you. In such a case, you must find other ways to overcome them." Professor Praline paced back and forth among the rows looking over each face and memorizing it. Mental photographing every person in the room was second nature to her and she did without even realizing it.  
  
Ron leaned over and raised his eyebrows at Harry. They both grinned at each other. Now this kind of class sounded interesting. In between them, Hermione took copious notes with her quill.  
  
"I have devoted my life to this subject and while I am here I will do my best to share what I have learned over the course of my life. But I expect much in return. I will need each of you here on time every day that we are scheduled to meet. Our time together is precious; I will expect you to treat it that way. Once here, I need your undivided attention which means things like notes," Praline flicked her wand and a small piece of paper on Lavender Brown's desk flew through the air and into her hand. She tapped her wand to it and the parchment disappeared in a small spark of fire. "Notes are a distraction we cannot afford."  
  
"I am standing in this classroom today because the Magical World, as we know it, is at a crossroads . . ." 


	2. Old Friends Reunited

Disclaimer: All characters and universe from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling and assorted corporations. Original characters and story belong to the author. Thanks to everyone who's reading. Please, please review! If you like what you read, please take the time to tell a friend, or two, or three . . . Now sit back and enjoy . . .  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"Whoa, did you get a load of everything she said in class?" Ron asked, gaping slightly as they left class two hours later. "She is way into this stuff. I bet she could knock the bollocks off a crowd a Death Eaters if she fancied."  
  
Hermione nodded. "She definitely has a progressive view about the subject. I'm interested to know what she thinks about equal rights for magical creatures." Harry and Ron exchanged silent looks but said nothing. They were a few feet into the hallway when Professor Praline's voice carried out to them.  
  
"Harry, could I speak with you a minute?" Praline asked him.  
  
He stopped short and looked startled. "Uh, sure. Okay," Harry turned and looked at Ron and Hermione who said good-bye and headed off to their next class, History of Magic.  
  
"Who's your next teacher?" Praline asked.  
  
"Professor Binns," Harry answered.  
  
"Oh, good. He won't mind, I was a favorite of his. I actually did well in his class, if you can believe it," Praline grinned and crossed her arms. She leaned against her desk and watched Harry, the appraising look once more in her eye.  
  
"You went to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, surprised. He instantly realized that that should have been obvious. She was Dumbledore's granddaughter after all.  
  
"Yes I went here. I lived in Gryffindor, same as you three. Who's up for the Quidditch Cup this year?" she asked.  
  
Harry smiled; this was something he could be proud of. "We are. Two games ahead of everybody else," he said, trying not to seem boastful.  
  
"That's fabulous! Hair of the father and the skills to match," she teased. "Really, good for you Harry," she beamed at him, proudly.  
  
"So, you knew my father?" Harry couldn't hold back any longer.  
  
"Yes," she answered, nodding. "He was a year ahead of my class. They all were. But I did know the Marauders very well. I got to know your father and Lupin through Sirius actually."  
  
"How's that," Harry pressed, eager to hear all she would tell him.  
  
Praline uncrossed her arms and rose. She walked around her desk and sat behind it, picking up a small silver orb that lay on her desk. The globe rolled from palm to palm as she bit her lip, trying to decide exactly how to phrase her words.  
  
"Harry, your godfather, err, Sirius, and I . . . we were sort of dat- . . . we were an item, for . . . a while," she finally finished.  
  
"You and Sirius dated at Hogwarts?" A smile grew on Harry's face. What she must know. "How long did you see each other? When did you meet? What happened? How come you stopped dating?" Harry shut his mouth abruptly when he saw what his last question had done to the new professor.  
  
Praline had stopped rolling the glass orb and gripped it tightly in one hand. Her knuckles were ghostly white and her face had gone equally as pale. She avoided Harry's gaze when she spoke.  
  
"Sirius and I were close until the end." Praline bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before plunging on. "I went to visit him while he was shut up at his house; I knew how miserable he was, thinking he was unable to do anything for the Order."  
  
"How come he never mentioned you?" Harry blurted out and again, for the umpteenth time that day, wanted to plant his foot squarely in his own rear.  
  
But Praline only smiled, she wasn't surprised at all. But she did look vaguely uncomfortable and embarrassed.  
  
"That was my doing, I'm afraid." She finally confessed. "I'm what they call an unregistered Auror you might say, and a lot of my work can be, well, kind of confidential within the Ministry." She laid the orb back on the desk and sighed. "Harry, my job takes me all over the world and while I loved Sirius deeply, I couldn't stay in hiding with him. We saw each other when we could, when it was safe. This, sadly, was never often enough for either of our liking." Praline got up and paced in front of the desk. She seemed restless with the subject; she wanted to be done with this part of the conversation and see how he would take it and go from there. But first, she had to get through it.  
  
"He wanted us to meet, you and me, but I was afraid-, I knew I would grow attached and at the time, I just couldn't afford that. In my line of work there are times where living through each day is no small matter. I know you've lost a lot of people close to you, Harry; I didn't want you to get another family member just so you could lose me too. I'm sorry Harry, if I have one regret in life; it's not making myself known to you sooner. There were times where Sirius almost introduced us but I backed out on both of them. It all sounds so selfish now and I hope you can forgive me."  
  
Harry was taken aback at her sudden apology. He thought about what she said and in a way, understood what she meant. The part of him that had seen death, the part of him that had felt the loss of friend and family understood why she would take such a thing so seriously. He nodded, understanding her point of view yet still digesting it.  
  
"S'ok. I, I kind of see your point. I would probably do the same thing if I were in your shoes, I dunno," he said. "But you're here now, that's something, isn't it?" he said hopefully.  
  
She gave him another long appraising stare. "You have the pragmatism of an Auror. That's interesting. Yes, Harry, I am here now and I'll be here for a long while. That actually brings me to something else I wanted to discuss with you," she changed the subject smoothly, guiding the conversation back to school matters.  
  
"Dumbledore told me about your D.A. organization that you and your friends formed last year. I was wondering if you all would be interested in continuing. We'd like to expand the club and make it available to all the Houses. Or maybe form one in each house, I'm not sure which way is best but either way, we would need a few head instructors that could train some house leaders," she paused for a breath, "because, let's face it Harry, I think the rest of the students might be a little behind." Praline gave a tired groan and rubbed a hand over her face. "So whattah' ya say Potter? Are you interested?"  
  
"Uh, yea, sure! I have to ask the others but I know most of them will be interested," Harry said, quickly warming to the prospect of teaching the others. The assumption that the meetings would most likely be supervised by Praline was an added plus. "Although, are you absolutely sure we have to teach the Slytherins?" Harry could not hide his grimace at the thought of Draco Malfoy using newly learned jinxes he learned from Harry, on Harry himself. Malfoy, Harry knew, would not be likely to let such a golden opportunity slip past him.  
  
Praline chuckled and sat back in her chair. "While I don't doubt the validity or the sensibility of your question, Harry, I doubt the students in Slytherin House, nor would their parents see this as fair treatment. However, I'm aware of the discord between Gryffindor and Slytherin and I assure you, we'll figure something out. After all, I need a classroom full of bat boogey hexes like I need a hole in my cauldron. Don't worry, I'll speak to the head of Slytherin House and we'll arrange for something."  
  
Harry thought to warn her of Snape's less than perfect social skills but instead found himself asking another question.  
  
"Pra- I mean, Professor, what kind of work do you do exactly, that keeps you so, err, removed?" Harry finally asked.  
  
Praline turned her eyes on him; holding his gaze. "If you really want to know Harry, I do the dirty work that no one wants to do but that has to get done. I don't always like my job but I'm good at it and very few are so it's not like there is someone to take my place. Yet. Overall, I have the kind of career where you have to become accustomed to spending a lot of time alone." She fell silent for a moment than shrugged. "But every experience varies. I'm sure that when you become an Auror it will most certainly be different for you."  
  
"But how could that be? I mean if Auror's have to go in with Voldermort's Death Eaters, no one else can know, right?"  
  
"Yes but, I don't think that will ever be a prospect for you Harry. There are certain qualities that must be present before one can obtain an unregistered status. The Department of Aurors has a lot of different classes. Unreg is just one of many things you can specialize in."  
  
"Why'd you choose it?" Harry asked.  
  
"Like I said, I have certain abilities that make going undercover a bit easier for me." Praline closed her eyes and focused. Her skin seemed to shimmer in the dappled afternoon sunlight. Suddenly her form began to morph and she grew smaller and smaller and decidedly more wrinkled. Harry looked down; he was staring down at a house elf.  
  
The house elf gave him a sharp salute and grinned at his awed expression. "One unemployed house elf at your service." The house elf pulled an expression that looked like she was about to sneeze. Instead, Praline morphed again, this time into Professor Sprout, then into a teenager dressed as a Hogwarts student. She began to morph again when she suddenly uttered a loud, "Oh!" and popped back into her original form.  
  
She rubbed her forehead. "That was weird," Praline murmured.  
  
"What happened?" Harry asked, concern filling his face.  
  
"Well, that last time, I tried to morph into you and something spit me back out. Wouldn't let me do it. I suspect granpapa put a Changeling Defense Charm on you to keep anyone from trying to impersonate you. That's Dumbledore, always prepared. He's probably got you layered in Charms, good for him. Well here's your hall pass, Harry. Tell Professor Binns I'm sorry about keeping you. Although, I don't think he'll mind. As for the D.A., gather your friends and let me know what day you want to meet. I imagine we'll keep the meeting place the same.  
  
She handed Harry the piece of parchment which he took. He stood in front of her desk, hesitation written all over his face. "Professor . . . I was wondering, I mean-" he stopped, unsure of himself.  
  
"Yes Harry? What is it?" Praline arched her eyebrows inquisitively, waiting for him to continue.  
  
But Harry had no idea where to start. The day had started out boring and uneventful and in the span of two hours he now found himself being taught Defense Against the Dark Arts by his godfather's old girlfriend! Harry had no idea how to ask Praline to simply start at the beginning and not stop until she reached the end.  
  
Lucky for him, she seemed to have read his mind and gave him a gentle smile. "I know this afternoon has been quite a shock for you, Harry. You've taken it well and for that I'm grateful but not surprised. Granpapa, I mean, Dumbledore has told me you've become quite unflappable when the situation calls for it. I don't doubt you're wanting to hear more about Sirius and James but I think now might not be the best time; especially when you're supposed to be in another professor's class. How about we get together sometime this weekend if you have any free time, that is? I'm also eager to get to know this 'fantastic godson' I've heard so much about," she teased.  
  
Harry blushed but felt a knot of excitement in his chest and nodded quickly. "That'd be great. We're headed to Hogsmeade tomorrow."  
  
At hearing this, Praline's eyes lit up. "Perfect. I'll find you while you're in town."  
  
Harry's face faltered at this. "But how will you know where we are?" he asked doubtfully.  
  
"I have my ways, don't worry." She winked. "I have an instinct for tracking people down."  
  
Harry smiled and nodded. He had her word she would tell him more and he knew it would have to suffice, for now. Saying good-bye, he was almost at the door when Praline called out to him once more.  
  
"Harry! Oh wait! I've forgotten something!" Harry turned to see Praline digging through her bag and then in turn turning to her desk. She rifled through the drawers and not finding what she wanted, gave an exasperated sigh.  
  
"I was going to give you some books for Hermione but I can't- oh wait- I think they're in my cabinet. Harry could you take a peek in that wardrobe for me while I make sure they're not in here-" Praline upended her small dragon skin backpack onto her desk and Harry was amazed at the quantity of items that poured out and all over the table.  
  
"Is that an enchanted bag?" Harry asked, his eyes widening as two small nifflers, a very large roll of parchment and a gallon jug of butterbeer fell out of Praline's bag and onto the heap of items that had fallen out first.  
  
"What? Oh, enchanted. Don't I wish. That's not a bad idea. No, the bag's not but the wardrobe is." Harry followed her instructions and walked to a tall, slender wardrobe that had appeared in the classroom with Praline's arrival. The wardrobe looked, for all intents and purposes, like an ordinary piece of furniture. But when Harry grasped hold of its large lion-shaped handles and opened the doors; his jaw dropped.  
  
Inside the wardrobe was a small dimly lit room lined with shelves from floor to ceiling. The room seemed to be wider than the physical size of the cabinet but when Harry knocked on both sides of the unit, it proved to be solid wood. He gazed at the small room in wonder before looking back over his shoulder at Praline. She remained behind her desk, hands on her hips, watching his reaction with a delighted grin plastered on her face.  
  
"It's something, isn't it? I actually lived in it for a couple of months when I was traveling through Egypt a while back. Its temperature controlled somehow but the downside is there's no toilet. Go ahead and step inside, the lights'll come one. I think I did leave the books on a shelf in the first room. It'll be three of four thin books tied with a bunch of brown string. I didn't want them to get separated." Praline surveyed the mess she had made on her desk and smirked. She began putting everything back in the bag (except the nifflers who were now nibbling on a corner of the parchment roll). Harry turned his attention back to the wardrobe and crossed over its threshold.  
  
Immediately, the small front room of the wardrobe came aglow with candlelight. It was approximately three feet by four feet with at least a foot above his head to spare. Shelves lined all four walls of the cramped space and were loaded with books, magical equipment and all sorts of odds and ends. Another doorway lay on the opposite wall to his right where a beaded curtain hung made up of round crystal stones that gently refracted the soft candlelight back onto the walls.  
  
Harry looked around him at the shelves in a mixture of bewilderment and delight. It was like Dumbledore's office but much smaller and much, well, cooler. He looked on some of the shelves but could not turn his attention away from the beaded curtain. Giving in, Harry reached out and parted the strands of crystal and stepped into the back room of the wardrobe.  
  
The second room was much larger; at least twelve feet across and ten feet wide. Posters of various rock groups, Muggle movies and works of art hung on almost every available inch of wall space. The Muggle posters had been enchanted so the figures in them moved about just like in a poster from the Magic world did. Harry glanced at several of them as he moved about the room. His attention fell on seating arrangement in a corner. Several oversized poufs lay in a circle around a large stuffed ottoman that served as a coffee table. The room vibrated a warm and comfy feeling and Harry found he felt very much at home here. The poufs and ottoman were done in rich jeweled tones and seemed larger than life; vibrant greens, blues, reds, and yellows beckoned Harry to take a seat. It was then that he noticed the reason why he was here in the first place.  
  
A short stack of books nearly covered in brown string lay next to a royal blue pouf near his legs. Harry picked up the volumes and with a last longing look went back into the front room of the wardrobe to leave. He had one foot back on the Hogwarts floor when he noticed a visitor standing in the doorway of the classroom. Quickly, almost instinctively, he slowly brought his foot back inside.  
  
Severus Snape stood silent in the doorway, watching Praline repack her bag. He said nothing for several moments and merely watched Praline deal with her mess; a thin smile appearing at his lips.  
  
"I see your packrat tendencies haven't ceased with age, Pralina." Snape's voice was low but lacked his usual venom. It was almost normal albeit a tad bit forced.  
  
Praline started and saw who was darkening her doorway.  
  
"Severus!"  
  
"Welcome back, Praline."  
  
She froze, her eyes wide with something Harry could not recognize. But what happened next, even Harry's new centaur divination teacher, Firenze, could not have predicted. Harry's two professors stepped toward each other and embraced. It was clear they had been friends, at least from Praline's expression. To Harry's surprise, relief and what seemed a touch of sadness were written on her face. Snape's reaction while hugging Praline was hidden from view by her tangled mane but Harry could have sworn it looked as if the potions master was breathing in the scent of her hair.  
  
They broke from their embrace and Praline peered up at Snape's hook-nosed face. She gripped his left hand tightly in her right, facing him directly.  
  
"So all is forgiven between us old friend?" Praline asked Snape.  
  
"The past is the past and time heals some scars better than others," Snape said in a vague manner. But he gripped Praline's hand back with both of his. It was a simple gesture but it was enough for Praline, who knew him.  
  
"Then I'm glad, truly glad. I missed you Severus. Whether you believe me or not, I missed you," Praline said sincerely. Harry's heart hammered away in his chest. What on earth was going on? Thinking quickly, he dropped the books on the wardrobe floor with a loud thud that echoed outside.  
  
"I've found them!" he yelled out towards the door of the wardrobe. He scooped up the books and made his way back out into the classroom. "They were way up on a top shelf, I almost didn't see them-" Harry stopped short, feigning surprise upon seeing Snape.  
  
Whatever sense of happiness Severus wore moments ago had vanished. His eyes narrowed viciously as he watched Harry make his way up to the front of the classroom. "Already nosing about in the new professor's belongings, Potter? You used to at least wait until I had left the office."  
  
Harry could feel the hot angry red of embarrassment creep across his face. How bloody dare him! But Snape, it seemed, was not yet finished.  
  
The Potions professor turned to Praline and in his usual dry drawl said, "You might want to keep Potter's hands in your sight, Professor. He has a knack for walking off with things; namely my supplies."  
  
Harry clenched the books he was holding tightly in his hands, his knuckles white under the pressure. The theft Snape spoke of had actually been committed by Hermione for the purpose of concocting a Polyjuice Potion; Harry had merely caused a diversion. But before he could open his mouth to defend himself; Praline intervened.  
  
"Now Severus, allow me to have my own first impression of the boy without your advice, please? I think it's a fair thing to ask for. Yes, Harry, go ahead and take those books on to Miss Granger. Let her know to speak with me if she has any questions." She dismissed Harry with a smile that was as friendly as ever and he felt a wave of relief wash over him.  
  
Harry's hand had just gripped the door handle when he heard Snape's voice call over his shoulder.  
  
"Potter, come here." Snape's voice hung in the still classroom.  
  
"Yes?" Harry turned and walked back towards him, a furious, defiant look burning in his eyes.  
  
"Empty. Your. Pockets." Professor Snape's words dripped like venom from his lips.  
  
"That won't be necessary, Harry. Please, go on to Professor Binns's. Tell him I'm sorry for keeping you so long." Praline came forward to steer Harry back towards the door but Severus moved forward quickly and casually blocked her path. He stood between her and Harry with his back to Praline.  
  
"That was an order, Potter, I will not repeat myself." Snape looked down at Harry, a dark look on his face. Though Harry had grown almost a foot since his start at Hogwarts he still wondered how Snape could seem just as large and imposing a figure as he was when Harry was a small first-year. However, before he could even reach for his robe pockets, Praline was there, standing between them, her hands gripping both of Harry's to keep them from moving.  
  
"Harry, I want you to listen to me. I want you to turn and walk out that door and head back to Professor Binns's classroom. You are in my class which means you are still under my authority. I am ordering you to go and I expect you to listen or I shall inform Dumbledore of your actions. Thank you for your help, Harry." He felt her hands push him slightly towards the door and he immediately obeyed. Safe outside in the hall, Harry breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall for a moment. He realized in the next few seconds that it had been a wise idea.  
  
"Severus!" Praline's voice carried through the door and faintly out into the hallway. "I am well aware of the fact that you and I parted ways some time ago. But do not think for an instant that I have forgotten what you can be like and what you are capable of! Like knows like, Severus. And I strongly advise you not to undermine my authority in this classroom and I will not endeavor to undermine YOU IN YOURS!"  
  
Harry listened but could only catch a mere murmur of Snape's voice. He must have said something to placate Praline because she lowered her's as well. Now, Harry could only hear vague syllables and noises emitting from the other side of the door. Giving up, he headed down the hall to Professor Binns's History of Magic.  
  
Binns it turned out had not even noticed Harry's absence and merely waved him to his seat before returning to his droning lecture. Ron and Hermione eyed him curiously, eager to hear what Professor Praline had had to say. Sitting between them, Harry spoke in a lowered voice telling them what he could. They sat in shocked silence, Hermione visibly stiffening at thought of a hug from Snape.  
  
"Ugh. What kind of bravery potion would it take to hug a monster like him," Hermione asked in hushed astonishment.  
  
"Fire whisky," Ron replied darkly, "loads and loads of fire whisky." The three of them snickered behind their hands and tried paying attention, if only for the few remaining minutes of the class. After they were dismissed, Harry, Ron and Hermione filed out of the classroom slowly, hanging back so that Harry could fill them in on the rest. Ron and Hermione were understandably dumbfounded.  
  
"I can't believe she was friends with him! Harry are you sure about this? Maybe you just saw him attacking her and she was fighting him off or something," Ron argued, determined to believe that such a thing was not possible.  
  
"No," Harry said firmly. "It was a full-blown hug. I'm positive."  
  
"But what kind of hug was it?" Hermione asked insistently. "Was it a friendly one? A romantic one? A sisterly one? Did she give him a noogie or anything like that?"  
  
Harry and Ron howled at the thought of Snape's head in a noogie lock. "Oh! Oh, I would pay a million Galleons to see something like that," Ron said, still crying with mirth.  
  
"No, I'm SURE she wasn't giving him noogies. I'd say it was more of a friendly hug. But I don't know about him, I couldn't see his face." Harry confessed. Up ahead were the turn-off corridors that lead to their DADA classroom. The corridor eventually ended up emptying into the Great Hall but it was a longer way that way. On impulse, Harry turned and took the longer way, hoping Ron and Hermione would follow him without noticing. The two were deep in conversation about Snape and Praline but exchanged hidden glances when they saw the off-course route they were taking. But they kept quite about it, Hermione shushing Ron when it seemed he might weaken and say something.  
  
As they neared the door to the classroom, Harry slowed his pace. He peeked in the doorway but straightened up when Hermione and Ron came up behind them. Professor Praline had her back turned to the entrance and was leaning against the side of her desk. She was talking to someone but Harry saw that the class was empty.  
  
"Yes, I know, he's behaving just as you said he would . . ." she laughed at something. It looked as if she were looking down at something in her hands. "No, that hair will never change but really, you must stop it! Don't be so mean!"  
  
Harry's hand shot to his head and smoothed down his hair. Was she talking about me or Snape? Who was she talking to anyway?  
  
"Well I wouldn't make too much fun of Severus if I were you. After all, he's not the only one with a few quirks," Praline said.  
  
"Ehem," Hermione had broken their silence. She looked highly uncomfortable but Harry knew it was because she felt guilty about their eavesdropping.  
  
"I've got to go." Praline looked down once more into her hands and then rose from the desk. She turned to face them quickly slipping something shiny into her robe pockets.  
  
"Hello you three. Sorry about that, just conversing with a friend. How'd the History lesson go?" she asked cheerfully as she bustled around the room doing a bit of last minute straightening. She gathered up her things and joined them at the door, which she shut behind her.  
  
"It was pretty dull as usual," Ron answered honestly. Hermione gave him a poke in his ribs and a meaningful glare.  
  
As she turned to close the door a bit of sunlight refracted through the glass and Praline caught her reflection in the mirror. "Oh my wand! Has my hair looked like a bird's nest this whole time?" The three friends looked at each other in surprise and stifled a laugh. Her head was rather windblown to be honest. She drew her wand and peered at her reflection. Touching her wand to her head she said clearly, "Accio Plait!" Immediately, the hairs atop her head flew straight out and began to weave themselves into a neat, thick braid that fell to the middle of her back.  
  
"How did you do that?" Hermione asked delightedly. "Please teach me that spell!" she pleaded as her right hand crept to her shoulder and fingered several strands of her bushy hair."  
  
Praline smiled understandingly and nodded. 'It's actually not so much as a spell as it is a potion." She fished around in her pack and withdrew a small pink bottle which she gave to Hermione. "Keep it," she offered, "the instructions are on the back."  
  
Bewitching Beverly's Detangle Tonic- Braids, Curls, Spikes at your command! The bottle was still three-fourths full and Hermione thanked her before placing it carefully in her schoolbag. "Oh thank you so much!" she said breathlessly.  
  
"Anytime. Just don't activate it outside when the wind is blowing, it just makes it worse and I would advise using it in the dining hall or a kitchen. You're liable to get a mountain of crockery come flying at your head should the plates misunderstand you."  
  
Hermione looked surprised but thanked her again for the warnings.  
  
"Professor are you headed to dinner with us?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I may not join you every night, but tonight I'd like to see a few old friends. I hope Hagrid is here. I've missed him most terribly."  
  
"So you knew Hagrid too?" Harry exclaimed, "What was he like?"  
  
"A big gentle lug. The kind of person who could probably befriend a giant," Praline said.  
  
At this, all three of her students snorted back convulsive gales of laughter. They were half hysterical with it. Praline looked at all of them in wonder trying to remember what she said. As comprehension dawned on her face it set off fresh snickers.  
  
Finally, Ron was the first to grow serious. "You know, it's funny you should mention that."  
  
Praline looked to him, Hermione and then Harry; confirmation written all over their faces. "You're joking, right," she asked weakly. "He didn't bring it here, did he?"  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Please tell me that Dumbledore knows."  
  
Again they nodded.  
  
Praline looked visibly relieved. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deep. "Merlin's beard that man could tame a dragon," she said in exasperated wonder.  
  
"No, no that didn't work out too well," Harry quipped and they dissolved into fresh laughter.  
  
She opened her eyes and scrutinized him for a second; not sure whether he was joking or not. Praline finally rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. "What can I say; it's good to be home."  
  
"May I have everyone's attention, if you please?" Albus Dumbledore's voice carried to the far end of the Great Hall and the after-dinner chatter ceased immediately. The eyes of all four tables were upon him, expectant faces waiting for what he had to say.  
  
"A few announcements before you retire to your Common Rooms. First, as you all know, our wait for the arrival of your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has come to an end. I would like to introduce you to Professor Praline Dumbledore. You may address her as Professor Praline to avoid any obvious confusion."  
  
The students twittered and curious whispers could be heard around the room. Dumbledore, however, had more to say.  
  
"I think you'll find her well-suited to the subject due to the fact that she has worked as an Auror for many years. Please welcome her in a manner befitting your school," he paused, looking down over his glasses at the students.  
  
"Announcement number two concerns an upcoming school function that will be more fully developed with the help of some of you. Due to a recently formed friendship that has developed between Hogwarts and the musical group, Dragonsfire, they have offered to perform a free show for our student body. As such, there will be a dance, held a month from now, in the Great Hall. Yes, Miss Pavarti, you may bring dates."  
  
At his news, the entire hall erupted in applause and excited chattering voices. Next to the Weird Sisters, Dragonsfire, an up-and-coming rock band, were the biggest thing in the teenage magical music community. Harry remembered seeing a poster of the group in Praline's wardrobe and wondered if she had had a hand in this.  
  
After Dumbledore dismissed them, they joined the queue and filed out the Great Hall and up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. Inside, the only topic discussed was the upcoming dance.  
  
"I love Dragonsfire; I know all their songs by heart. They even play "Merlin's Beard" when Ireland takes the field at games." Harry overheard Seamus and instantly knew he was talking about the Ireland Quidditch team. He had recognized the song too when they played it at the World Cup two years ago.  
  
"I think Praline is friends with the band," Harry said. He told them about seeing the poster in her wardrobe and they wanted him to describe the entire inside of the cabinet. When they were somewhat satisfied, Hermione brought up the matter of re-forming the D.A. organization. A number of the club's members were in the room and overheard her. They began asking questions such as when the meeting would be held and where. Since the knowledge of the club was no longer secret, every Gryffindor present in the room wanted to know if they could attend the first scheduled meeting.  
  
"Sure," Harry said, inwardly pleased at their interest. Harry, Ron and Hermione, satisfied with the activity of the day's events, hung out in the Common Room for quite some time, whiling away the free hours of their Friday evening drinking butterbeer, playing games, and talking. Tomorrow was a Hogsmeade day and everyone seemed particularly wound up especially with a new professor and dance on top of the visit.  
  
Around one in the morning, Ron, Harry and Hermione parted ways and headed up to their dormitories for some rest. Harry felt physically exhausted but his mind was still whirring away with unanswered questions about the new professor and her relationship with the grown men in his life. Was it possible to be friends with my dad and Snape at the same time? How did a Gryffindor befriend a Slytherin? And what happened that they both had to apologize for it?  
  
Harry began to doze off and then envisioned himself drawing silvery thoughts out of his head using his wand. It was one of many mental tricks Dumbledore had taught him in his Occlumancy lessons this year. Slowly, his breathing became slow and even, his eyelids fluttered and his pulse fell to a placid thud, thud.  
  
When the curtain of blank fell, Harry did not notice the point where meditation became sleep. He fell back onto his pillows into a rare night of empty, dreamless and very restful sleep.  
  
**********************************  
  
Thanks for the reviews. Hope this kept you interested. If so, let me know what you thought. And please, tell a friend!  
  
Fayth- Yea, it is the name of an ice cream (one of my favorites actually). I wanted her to have a slightly embarrassing name, kind of a humbling device. All this ability yet she's named after dessert flavor. I plan on working it into the story later on.  
  
Thanks again for reading! ( 


	3. Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

Disclaimer: All characters and universe from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling and assorted corporations. Original characters and story belong to the author. Thanks to everyone who's reading. I really appreciate you taking the time. If you like what you read, please take the time to tell a friend, or two, or three . . . Now sit back and enjoy dear reader . . .  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Saturday morning dawned clear and sunny, and a gentle breeze rustled the treetops on the school grounds. The unusual heat wave had broken and mild weather made for easy Hogsmeade walking. After breakfast, Harry, Ron and Hermione along with all the eligible students, filed past Filtch the caretaker as he meticulously marked them off his piece of parchment. Filtch waved them through without trouble today and the three stepped out into the sunlight and fresh air. For Harry, the day seemed full of possibility and he found himself looking forward to their Hogsmeade visit more so than he had in quite some time. It was weird, since Sirius died; simple things that had always excited him seemed now to be trivial. But a quick look at Ron and Hermione and Harry decided he was going to try and have a nice time today. The both of them had been watching him closely lately, concern apparent on their faces. They couldn't begin to imagine losing a parent and they could not even court the thought of what it would feel like to lose both and a godfather on top of that. So they stood steadfast by their friend, offering support whenever he seemed to need it and distraction when necessary. More than ever, Harry realized how vital that was to him now; and more than ever, it also scared him.  
  
Scared him enough to tackle Occlumency with a new fervor. After Voldermort used Sirius to draw Harry out, Harry vowed it would never happen again. Already (with much practice, that is) the dreams had massively subsided. They had not stopped completely, but when they took place, they did not result in his vomiting over the side of his bed as the dreams had in the past. But he tried to put all that out of his mind as he made his way down the road with Ron and Hermione.  
  
"I really have a lot to do today," Hermione said as she counted counted off her errands on her fingers. "I need parchment. I'd like to get a new quill. Crookshanks needs a new collar, he lost his old one."  
  
"You'd like to kick back and relax for thirty seconds. Hey. Should we put that on the schedule before or after we buy the collar," Ron teased. His comment was met with a smirk which only encouraged him. "I'll take that as before. As a matter of fact, I'll take that as a 'we should kick back right now!'" Nodding at Harry they each stepped to one side of Hermione and grabbed hold of an arm. She protested only mildly as they steered her towards the Three Broomsticks, through its doors and into its comfy dim interior.  
  
Once inside the tavern, they headed for the bar and waited for the bar keep to take their orders. They didn't see Professor Praline come up behind them and signal the bartender for a round on her.  
  
"Put it on my tab, Erlo," she said as he set down their butterbeers before them. The three of them whirled around and found Praline standing before them; as usual, a grin on her heart-shaped face.  
  
"Wanna join me? I've got a table and it's a very precious commodity right now." True to her word, the seating area was brimming with students and townsfolk, alike. Praline gestured towards a large table in the back. Her spacious, black backpack lay on top, marking her territory and claiming the table as her own.  
  
"Aren't you afraid someone might steal your bag," Hermione asked anxiously.  
  
"I pity anyone that tries to touch that bag without my permission," Praline said with a mischievous gleam in her eye.  
  
"So it is enchanted," Harry confirmed.  
  
"Maybe just a little," Praline winked.  
  
"My dad would love to meet you," Ron said, "He's got a thing for bewitched Muggle stuff. He'd probably faint over your chopper." Harry and Hermione had to agree. They made their way over to the table and took their seats. The hubbub of the bar made private conversation easier as there were voices aplenty.  
  
"So where'd you get a bike like that, anyway?" Ron asked. His speech seemed to have reverted back to normal after their first embarrassing meeting yesterday. "Did you do that work yourself?"  
  
"No, no I didn't. Actually," Praline took a swig of beer and wiped her upper lip delicately with the end of her sleeve. "It was a gift from a friend. A very dear friend. It was the very same bike, as a matter of fact, that drove you to your aunt and uncle's house on Privet Drive when you were a baby, Harry." She stopped and let her words sink into Harry.  
  
His eyes widened. "That's Sirius's bike!" he exclaimed. "How'd you get it? Did he give it to you?"  
  
"When the Dementors captured him, I was living nearby his home. We had been seeing each other for quite some time so I cleaned out his house for him immediately. I knew the Ministry and Voldermort would use whatever they found in there against him. So I took the motorcycle, pictures, keepsakes, all the things I knew had meaning for him. He loved riding that bike so I just rode off on it. When he escaped from Azkaban I let him know I still had it along with everything else. He had me bring everything to Black Manor except the chopper which he said I could keep since he had Buckbeak. It's so much better than a broom really. I have to admit I'm not very fond of my broom-riding abilities." Praline finally confessed.  
  
"You don't play Quidditch then?" Harry asked, feeling slightly disappointed.  
  
Praline shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I sat on the sidelines for that sport. Love to watch it, can't stand to fly around on nothing but a stick of wood. I have a horrible sense of balance in the air. To be completely honest, I miss the days of flying carpets. The motorcycle's a bit more substantial, you know? But enough about my flying weakness has Harry spoken to you both about reforming the D.A.?" Both Ron and Hermione nodded and they began going over the details and the names of who was interested. Basically, all of Gryffindor Tower at the very least had wanted to attend the first meeting.  
  
In the back of his mind, Harry was picturing his godfather flying over cities and pastures, lakes and rivers on his bewitched bike. He smiled inwardly at the mental picture. That would have been so like Sirius, he thought to himself. His godfather had never been content to sit at home and his imprisonment in his family's house towards the end of his life had seemed likely to drive him mad with frustration.  
  
"What are you thinking about Harry?" Praline broke his reverie with her low, alto voice. "You had a smile on your face just then and you were miles away." Both Ron and Hermione stopped their conversation and looked at him; curious.  
  
"I was just thinking about Sirius riding that bike and how he must have enjoyed it. It seems like something he would really be into," Harry mused softly, more to himself then the rest of the table. The other three smiled suddenly, the picture taking shape inside their minds as well. Praline's eyes grew very wet and she turned away for a moment to compose herself. Emptying the pint glass in a long swallow she began talking, still not looking at any of them, lost in another time and memory.  
  
"I, I still remember our first ride on that thing. Sirius drove twelve hundred miles to pick me up in that bike. I was on assignment outside of Prague and we arranged a secret meeting. We flew all over the city that night. It was foolish, we could have gotten caught, but you do stupid, romantic things like that when you're in love. I remember we had dinner at this tiny restaurant owned by an elderly witch and wizard who loved Italian food. The place had maybe three tables in it and the maitre d' was an old man who slept in a chair by the entrance the entire time we were there. It was a perfect night. The kind you replay over and over in your head and never forget. We got to take maybe three more rides together before he was put in Azkaban but by then I was hooked." Praline stopped, gave her head a quick shake as if to clear it. "What can I say, good memories but never enough of them, right?" Her attention was focused on Harry who had been listening to her story intently while staring into his butterbeer. "Alright there, Harry?" Praline asked.  
  
"Yea Harry, you okay?" Ron asked true concern in his voice.  
  
"Yea, I'm fine. Actually, to tell you the truth, it feels good to hear someone talk about Sirius like this. I guess that's what I needed more than anything, was someone who knew him. Me and him, we never really got a chance to spend a lot of time with each other and when we were together, something bad was always going on. I guess I'm angry because we never got to make a go of it as a real family. I never got to do any normal stuff with him." Harry's long, rapid release surprised his two close friends. This was the most he had spoken on the matter since it happened.  
  
"Professor, I'd like it very much if you want to tell me stories about my Sirius. He was the only real family I got to know and I'd like to learn more about him. That is, if you're willing to tell me." Harry held Praline's gaze and watched her serious scrutiny melt into a slow smile.  
  
"I was hoping you'd say that, Harry. It's really why I came here in the first place. And outside of class, please, all of you call me Praline.  
  
They exited the Three Broomsticks sometime later, full of butterbeer and ready to see the rest of the town. For the past couple of hours, Praline had regaled them with tales of her and Sirius at Hogwarts and after they had graduated. She had kept the subject matter intentionally light; discussing places they had gone together, adventures and minor scrapes they had escaped from. As she talked, Harry had begun to form a more coherent picture of who his godfather had been as a young man and what he had enjoyed doing. It gave him comfort to know that there was someone else who knew Sirius as well as Harry knew him, but from a different time.  
  
"Well Sirius certainly could have given Fred and George a run for their money," Hermione mused. She smiled wistfully and gave Harry's arm a warm squeeze. There was a sense of relief lingering around Ron and Hermione. Praline had broken the silence that had formed around them in the aftermath of Sirius's death. Since last summer, Harry had spoken less and less these days; often disappearing on his own for hours at a time on weekends and preferring the quiet of his dormitory to the bustle of the Gryffindor common room. But Praline's arrival had brought with it an already noticeable improvement in their friend.  
  
"Oh you don't realize the half of it. I still don't think Professor Sprout ever fully got over the third hand she grew out of the top of her head after Sirius, eh hem, accidentally mixed up her series of herbal medicines. He saw two weeks of detention for that one. I don't really know why though, I mean in all honesty, the hand was quite well formed. It was a good bit of magic. Perhaps he shouldn't have let her wear it all day without telling her. I don't think she appreciated the fact that granpapa was the one that finally pointed it out to her when she arrived for dinner. But he at least had the courtesy to remove it for her." They laughed at the recollection of Sprout's "special" leg while they ambled up the main street of the village, gazing in shop windows and discussing ideas for the next D.A. meeting. While Ron and Hermione fell into a discussion about which owls delivered the fastest over longer distances, Harry chose the opportunity to lag behind with Praline. "Praline, how- how did you and Snape come to be friends? I heard, I mean, I wasn't eavesdropping. Alright, maybe I was. But you called him 'old friend' in the classroom yesterday. Did you mean that? Were you really, actually friends with Snape?" Harry asked in slight disbelief.  
  
"Professor Snape, Harry. But to answer your question, yes, Severus Snape and I at one point in our Hogwarts lives were very good friends indeed. The Houses weren't always so divided like they are now, you know. Everyone spent some time in detention, yours truly included. I made quite a few friends out of it. So did Sirius! It's how we met. Over the years, most of the time we spent talking was in detention. Outside, he was usually glued to your father's Marauders." Praline said with a smirk.  
  
"So did Severus make a lot of friends there?" Harry asked, watching her expression for a sign.  
  
Praline's mouth twitched; whether to hide a smile or frown, Harry could not tell. "No Harry, as far as I know, Severus made only one." She stopped suddenly, a distracted look on her face as if she had forgotten something. "I have to go Harry, I'm sorry, but I've forgotten the time and I'm supposed to be meeting a friend soon." Praline began digging through her bag searching for something.  
  
"Alright then. Thanks for the drinks and . . . everything." Harry said uncertainly, not yet wanting to leave. A light wind blew down the avenue and loosened several wayward strands of hair from Praline's long braid. Harry fought a sudden weird urge to brush them away from her face. He had a flash of her kissing Sirius and jolted back to reality.  
  
"Listen Harry, if you like, come by my wardrobe after dinner tonight. I have some papers to grade so I'll be in my, err, office. The room with all the poufs," she stopped digging to grin at him; then reached out and tousled his hair. "I had fun today too. You have wonderful friends, Sirius described them perfectly. See ya, Harry." With that, she turned and walked away, rounding the corner and out of sight.  
  
Harry watched her leave, thinking about what she had said. A grin flashed across his face before he sobered up and ran to catch up with the others. It appeared as if he would be busy tonight.  
  
"I'll catch up with you two later," Harry said as casually as he could after dinner. The three of them were leaving the Great Hall and climbing the stairs when he said it.  
  
"Where are you going?" Ron asked, surprised.  
  
"Harry, what is it?" Hermione asked guardedly.  
  
He grinned back at her and clapped her shoulder gently, "It's nothing. Really, I promise I'm okay."  
  
"So why can't you tell us where you're going then?" Hermione persisted.  
  
"I've got a meeting with someone, that's all." Harry realized sneaking off from these two was near impossible. I bet it was like that between Sirius and my dad.  
  
"Oh yea, so who'ya meetin?" Ron slung a friendly arm around Harry's neck. He was several inches taller than Harry but the distance between their heights was closing.  
  
"Professor Praline, now get off," Harry said ducking out from under Ron's dangling arm. Ron stopped and gaped at him but before he could speak, Hermione jumped to Harry's rescue.  
  
"Well have a good meeting then Harry, we won't keep you. Tell her we said hello!" At the mention of their new professor's name, Hermione definitely the more sensitive of the pair, grabbed Ron's arm and hauled him up the stairs; quietly explaining to him out of the corner of her mouth to keep him from turning back around.  
  
Harry watched them go. He shook his head appreciatively at his friends' retreating figures. As overly-cautious as Hermione might be sometimes, she always knew how to act in certain situations. The older Harry got, the more he was grateful for her. If it wasn't for her, he would have had no idea what girls were thinking at least, most of the time.  
  
Praline's office lay on the fourth floor of the castle near the classrooms. Harry walked down the now silent halls lit only by sputtering candles. Professor Flitwick would not renew the candle light charm until Monday and it always ran low during the weekend as the candles would be almost completely melted. He approached the classroom and saw that it was dark. Peering in through the door's window he saw a beam of soft light emitting from the wardrobe. Harry opened the door to the classroom and entered, shutting the door behind him. Walking down the rows, he heard a distinct noise and as he grew closer to the wardrobe, realized it was music. He entered the front room of the wardrobe and parted the beaded curtain into the back.  
  
A small desk had appeared in the center of the room where his professor was sitting. A tower of parchment rolls lay on her desk but she was oblivious to it for directly in front of her lay an over-sized photo album thick with pages. She turned each one slowly; making a small murmur over some and others she merely traced their figures with a long slender finger. The music Harry had heard he now knew to be a song by a Muggle band which he himself liked. The song floated out from some unknown source and for the first time, Harry distinctly heard the lyrics:  
  
I want to run I want to hide I want to tear down the walls That hold me inside I want to reach out And touch the flame Where the streets have no name  
  
He found himself enjoying the song and wondered briefly why he didn't listen to more music in his free time. Tonks did like the Weird Sisters; maybe she could give him a few pointers.  
  
"You know every time I wonder why I chose my profession. I put on U2 and I realize how horrible this world would be without Muggles." Praline had noticed him in the doorway and snapped him back. "No Muggle music, no Muggle art, no Muggle literature. No Mozart, no Renoir and no Shakespeare," Praline mused. She waved at him, "Don't just stand there in the doorway, come in and sit down. A flick of her wand and the parchments zoomed themselves off to a corner of the room. Praline tapped her wand against her desk and its lion's club feet scooted it off to an opposite side of the room. Still clutching her album tightly under her arm, she sat on a squishy red pouf and placed the heavy volume on the table. "Come, sit," she said.  
  
Harry pulled a royal blue cushion underneath him and sat down next to her. Praline set the large book on the round ottoman and let Harry examine its cover. It was bound in rich, red leather with gilded edging. The cover read simply: P.D. beneath that was the word: Hogwarts. Harry opened the cover and found himself staring at a school photograph of a very young Praline. The little girl in the photo could only be seen from the waist down and sat smiling politely out at Harry. Suddenly, she lowered her lashes and smiled mischievously, glancing right then left. POP! A wrinkled house elf stood in her place, sticking out its tongue. POP! The little girl's body returned but in place of a head, there was an enormous yellow and white striped fish. POP! And the polite smile returned.  
  
"Hmm, I was a bit cheeky at that age I suppose," Praline said sheepishly.  
  
Harry examined the picture. "You look so young. Was this your first- year?" he asked.  
  
"No, no I was a second-year when this was taken. I look a little young, I know. I was eleven," she said softly. "You started when you were ten?" he asked in surprise.  
  
"Oy. The headmaster granted me an early enrollment at Dumbledore's request. I started doing complex magic at a very young age. I could transfigure things before I was able to understand why. I don't remember, but one day when I was four, one of the professors found me down in the kitchen. I had transfigured all the kitchen elves into cats and owls and was just happy as a lark playing with them all. They decided I needed more direction, is what they called it, and started my informal schooling then. When I was ten, they enrolled me officially as a first-year but I had really grown up in the castle living with granpapa."  
  
"Where are your parents?" Harry asked, realizing that Dumbledore had either a son or a daughter that had bore Praline.  
  
"They disappeared shortly after my third birthday. I don't remember a lot about them. One weekend, they left me with granpapa to go on a trip and they never came back," she said. She turned to the next page of the album before adding, "He adopted me and I lived here in the castle with him. When he foresaw the coming of the Dark Lord he erased any mention of his name from my official records. He knew any connection with my name would make me an automatic target. So I was listed as Praline Podmore during my fourth year on, just to be safe. Over time, most of the students forgot who I was related to as new students came and the older ones graduated. After I left Hogwarts I went to work for the Ministry as an unregistered. This," she said, indicating the album before them, "is one of the few things that prove my existence."  
  
"What exactly is an 'unregistered?'" Harry asked.  
  
"It means I'm an unregistered metamorphmagus, unregistered witch, unregistered everything. The Ministry's record of Patricia Dumbledore lists her as 'missing at three years of age and presumed dead.' Patricia Podmore has no listed family and her records list her as a shopkeeper in a town called Wittlich," Praline snorted, "Supposedly, I'm selling charmed shoes in the Rhinelands of Germany."  
  
He snickered at her 'listed' career description and examined the next page of the album. There were several pictures on the double-spreaded page. One held a photo of a group of teenagers with their arms around each other. Harry recognized his dad, mum, Sirius, Praline and Lupin in that order, standing side by side with Peter's head sticking out well behind and above them. Like the other photo, the people in this one caroused with each other; James and Lily seemed to only have eyes for each other and were exchanging small kisses. Praline, Sirius and Lupin were busy tripping each other and taking turns in headlocks. Peter flew out from behind them, the broom he was riding precariously, explaining his sudden height. He zoomed around them once before stopping at the unsuspecting Romeo and sticking a wet, pudgy finger into James's ear.  
  
"Git," Harry muttered.  
  
There was a photo of a teenage Praline with Professor Dumbledore, clearly taken in his office and one of her and Sirius looking slightly awkward and dressed in formal robes.  
  
"Ugh, our first dance. I looked like such a dweeb in that dress. I can't believe we used to dress like that and call it cool."  
  
Harry let out a short bark of laughter. His normally cool, dark godfather was dressed in light baby blue robes that looked more at home on Gilderoy Lockhart than they did on Black. "He's dressed like Lockhart."  
  
"Ha! Merlin's beard, I don't think he'd have wanted me to show you that one. Ah, well," she turned the page and Harry found himself face to face with his Potions master. A young Severus Snape sat under a tree near the school pond and looked mildly annoyed at the camera. Suddenly, Harry saw Snape do something he had no idea he was capable of: he laughed. Not a thin smile or one of his usual venomous snickers he saved for his poor students, but a full-bellied, side-splitting, sincere laugh. He fell over on his side, clutching his middle with skinny pale arms, completely unconscious of any sense of dignity.  
  
"Whoa, what did you say when you were taking THAT picture," Harry asked in astonished disbelief.  
  
"I don't know," Praline said ruefully, "I sure wish I could remember, though."  
  
Harry gazed at the picture again. Snape did not even look like himself when he laughed. His usual pinched expression was gone and in its place was a laughing, young boy. Where did this guy go?  
  
"He wasn't always the Snape he is now, you know. Well, maybe a little perhaps, he was a little snobbish but it wasn't like he is now. Severus, when he wanted, could be a lot of fun. Like I said before, the Houses weren't always so divided, Harry. I mean, it still was rather odd that a Gryffindor was friends with a Slytherin but I knew a lot of people from all different houses. Granpapa taught me to know everyone, including Slytherins. 'Open discourse among all walks of life is the true path to knowledge,' he used to tell me. He was right, I get most of my information now from listening to people talk," she said. "But Severus, well he was an unusual kid. Very much a loner but incredibly smart. The man is nothing short of a genius, really. High marks in all his O.W.L.S. aced his N.E.W.T.S.; he could have done anything he wanted to."  
  
"Preferred torturing kids instead of Death Eaters, I suppose," Harry said, a slight bitter edge to his voice.  
  
"Harry-" Praline said, and then snapped her mouth shut and fingered a picture on the opposite page. It was filled with students, all wearing Gryffindor colors and cheering wildly. In the center were James and Sirius and what must have been their Quidditch teammates, all holding aloft a giant victory cup. "That was sixth-year for them, fifth for me. They were up against Slytherin; beat them into a bloody pulp, oh, it was vicious let me tell you. I could have sworn that James avoided catching the Snitch just to give his teammates a chance to run Slytherin into the ground. They ran the score up 85 to 15, Gryffindor, before James swooped in and caught it. That was a great day. That kind of day is the type I like to remember. Funny, how I hadn't thought of it in a long while."  
  
They flipped pages in silence for a while, turning past photos of parties, her & Sirius, the Marauders, James and Lily and other school-related moments. Midway through, Harry stopped at a page bearing one slightly larger photo of Praline. It was her, probably as a fifth-year (she looked about twelve years old) holding a glass jar close to her face and peering at its contents intently. The shot was a casual photo with a large portion of the room caught in the background. One table back sat a dark, greasy- haired, teenage boy who seemed to have been watching Praline rather intently. The look on Severus's face was impossible to deny.  
  
Harry looked up in amazement. "Did Snape like you? I mean, did he really like you?" This was too much. Sirius and Severus like the same girl? Wasn't it bad enough they had tormented him outside of class? Harry didn't know what to think of his Potions master anymore. He felt pity for Snape, that was true, but it didn't right the wrongs the professor had done to him in the past. Harry was not James Potter, he hadn't committed those deeds, and he should not be the one to suffer for it!  
  
"I don't know," Praline said a little too casually, "but if he did, he never mentioned it to me. And he certainly didn't show it in the end."  
  
"That doesn't surprise me," Harry quipped, "I imagine you need a heart to do that sort of thing."  
  
"We're all given different experiences in our lives Harry, some of us are raised with love and compassion, others are not so lucky. Severus was a product of his environment and it was one full of anger and resentment and prejudice. He fought it as best he could but sometimes things made it hard for him to do so," she paused, "but he is as loyal a member of the Order as there ever was. You remember that Harry. Dumbledore is sure of it and so am I. There has been many a time where he could have revealed me to the Dark Lord and never did."  
  
Harry pondered her words. "So what made you both so mad that you stopped speaking to one another? I mean, you both had some kind of falling out? Was he mad about Sirius?" Harry asked. He knew he was asking all kinds of impolite questions but she had invited him here and he felt it was now his right. She had to have known I would ask, wouldn't she, he thought to himself.  
  
Praline sat for a while staring at a picture of her and Snape, standing on the stairs leading up to Hogwarts castle. In the shot, a stiff Snape and Praline (who looked equally as uncomfortable) stood side-by-side. Each held a small Winner's Cup in their hands. Neither looked particularly pleased at being photographed together as there was a considerable amount of space between them. The caption below the picture read:  
  
Students of the Year:  
Potions: Severus Snape (6)  
DADA: Praline Podmore (5)  
  
"Harry, I think there's something I need to show you," Praline said suddenly. She rose from her pouf and went to the front room of the wardrobe. When she returned, she held a large stone bowl in both her arms. Harry thought he knew what it was, a Pensieve; Dumbledore had one in his office. The bowl in Praline's arms, however, was decorated in similar designs but was painted in a shimmering blue. Setting the bowl on the ottoman, she drew her wand and placed it to her head, drawing out a slivery- looking thread of something fluid and placing it into the Pensieve. She did this several times in a row and then turned towards Harry.  
  
"Well, don't look at me, Harry, I know you've done this before," she said wryly. 


	4. Praline's Pensieve

Disclaimer: All characters and universe from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling and assorted corporations. Original characters and story belong to the author. Now sit back and enjoy dear reader . . .  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Harry grinned, a sheepish look on his face, and took out his wand. He touched the tip of it into the silvery liquid and felt that familiar spinning blackness.  
  
The Hogwarts Trophy Room lay before him, dappled in late afternoon sunlight. Harry was standing in the doorway next to a third-year Praline. Her eyes were focused intently on a black-haired, teenage boy sitting smack dab in the middle of the room. He was surrounded entirely by Victory Cups of all shapes and sizes. He rubbed away at a particularly large trophy quickly, paying no attention to the young girl in the doorway. Ever so often he would remove a small flask from his robes, splash a little of its contents on his polishing rag and would continue rubbing away.  
  
"What are you doing? I've been polishing those things for years and I know that's not the usual wax Filtch makes us use," Praline had approached the boy and now stood directly in front of him, her hands on her hips.  
  
"What an observant young lady you are." Sirius Black looked up at his little supervisor and flashed a smile, not at all nervous. "Help me get some of these done before he comes back. I need to be through with these and on to something else so he'll end up looking that over instead of these." He indicated the mountain of silver and gold all around him.  
  
"Not until you tell me what you're doing," she demanded. "What's in the flask?"  
  
"Here, now hurry up and start polishing," he grabbed the flask out of his robe pocket and thrust it up at her. Fizzledort's Insulta-Wax 'Another Fine Trick From Dr. Fizzledort!'  
  
"What exactly does it do?" Praline asked.  
  
"You know, you ask a lot for a little kid. It changes all the inscriptions on trophies into insults about that person. It's a temporary charm, wears off after about a week," Sirius said, still polishing. "Look, see?" He held up the cup he had been working on for her to see. Praline read the fading inscription: Gibson Sisyphus - Head boy - 1926. The inscription however, was slowly changing to read: Gibbering Sissypants - Head case - 1926.  
  
"That doesn't sound like a very nice thing to do," Praline said, a bit more primly then she intended to.  
  
"Well that's why I only have the Slytherin cups out, alright?" Sirius said in a mock-girly voice. "I'm doing these first so I can hide them in with the others. Now come on, I spent weeks researching the names so I'd know who gets the wax. Ha, ha get it? Get the wax? Axe?"  
  
Praline fought to hold back a chuckle but lost. "Ok, sounds like a worthy cause to me." She bent down to pick up a cloth and then stopped. "Wait a minute; this stuff actually waxes the trophies too, right?"  
  
"Who cares?" Sirius asked. "We'll be gone by then."  
  
"Easy for you to say," Praline muttered. "I'm in here all the time."  
  
"Oh yea?" Sirius looked over at her; she had his full attention now. "What for?"  
  
"Different stuff. Transfiguring things I'm not supposed to, morphing when I shouldn't be, making a Peeves kite, some of it I do intentionally but sometimes, it's really not my fault," Praline grumbled.  
  
"What's a Peeves kite?" Sirius asked curiously.  
  
When she told him he roared with laughter, falling backwards and knocking some trophy cups aside. "That's the greatest thing I've ever heard. I'd love to see that!"  
  
Praline shrugged. "Well the next time he spills ink on me, I'll give you a yell."  
  
"Please do," he said, wiping mirth-filled tears from his eyes. "By the way, the name's Sirius."  
  
"Yea, I know who you are," Praline said. "You're in my house; a year ahead of me. You're friends with Lupin aren't you? He's ok. He helped me with some Charms homework last year. Nice guy. My name's-"  
  
"Praline Podmore, right? Or was it Dumbledore, I forget. Yea, I know who you are too. They say you're pretty smart around the dormitory. Some say you should've been put in Ravenclaw instead."  
  
Harry thought he saw a pleased flush cross Praline's face but she kept the same serious work expression. "The houses never mattered much to me, really. I have a few friends in every house. This whole rivalry thing is kind of overrated. I mean, who cares where your friends are from as long as they're your friends, right?" Praline looked to Sirius for confirmation.  
  
He had stopped polishing some time ago and had sat watching her rant, a look of amusement across his face. "Praline, little lady, I do believe you're very right indeed."  
  
They sat in the middle of the trophy room, heads bent laboriously over their work.  
  
"So," Sirius glanced her way but didn't stop his furious polishing. "What kind of name is Praline, anyway? Is it a family name?"  
  
"My mother came up with it." Praline answered simply.  
  
"Did she now? Do you like it? You don't think it was a bit daft-"  
  
"YOU'RE daft!" Praline snapped at him. "If you must know, it was my grandpapa's favorite ice cream at the time me mum had me! She thought it would make a lovely name! Are you satisfied? It's a Muggle thing and I don't expect someone like you to understand!" Two bright pink spots appeared high on the apples of her cheeks before she bent back down to her work.  
  
But Sirius had ceased polishing and was holding his hands out in mock defense of himself. "Ok, ok I take it back; it's not daft, I am, I know, I admit it, I have this condition you see. I actually take medication for it- "  
  
"Oh, bugger off," Praline grumbled.  
  
"Seriously, I was being stupid and I apologize. I wasn't looking for a fight today, especially not with a fellow Gryffindor. After all, it's not like I can talk, is it? Not with a name like I have. I've heard my fair share of jokes, too. So what do you say, truce?" The young man held out his hand and turned on a 100-watt smile; the Sirius charm that had gotten him many female admirers in the past.  
  
"Truce. And also, you've got a huge honking eye boogey just below your eye. No, the other one."  
  
The room went black. Harry began to spin.  
  
Harry was perched at the top of a winding staircase next to an even younger version of Praline than the last. The small child here was barely school age. She looked to be about six years of age. Harry watched as she clutched the bars of the banister and peered through them, watching the events taking place below.  
  
"It will only be for the night, Dumbledore. Awfully sorry about the trouble but we think its best if he gets a little rest outside the house before going back. We'll come and pick him up tomorrow evening. Things should be sorted out by then I expect." A short, round wizard with curly brown hair stood in the front doorway down below. Harry realized that he must be Dumbledore's living quarters at the time. He didn't know for sure it this was a Hogwarts room but he imagined it probably was.  
  
"The poor boy. He's had quite a time with this. It would be my pleasure to look after him. No hurry if it takes a couple of days. I imagine Praline will welcome a playmate, she'll have someone younger than me to talk to for a change," Dumbledore said warmly.  
  
Below, on the doorstep, the unknown wizard continued talking in low voices with Albus Dumbledore. Praline however, rose and climbed up the few remaining stairs to the landing above. Harry followed her down a corridor and jerked to a halt when she stopped abruptly. She craned her little neck, listening carefully to a noise coming from a closed door to her left. From inside, came the sound of a young child sobbing quietly. Praline turned and reached out a chubby little hand and pushed the door open slightly. She stood in the doorway and watched the small boy curled up on a bed; crying.  
  
"Please go away. Just leave me alone," he moaned, not opening his eyes to even look at her.  
  
She stared at him a moment longer before backing out the door and closing it behind her. The young Praline turned suddenly and ran down a back staircase that lead directly into a kitchen below. House elves bustled about preparing food and doing household chores. The all stopped what they were doing the second she entered the room; their eyes wide with fear or expectation, Harry couldn't tell.  
  
POP!  
  
Praline sans a wand, Harry saw, had turned one of the many house elves into a fluffy, white rabbit that she picked up carefully in her arms before hurrying away. The remaining house elves stood frozen for a moment longer before going about their work once more; some looking decidedly scandalized and others looking mildly excited. Harry followed Praline back to the darkened bedroom where he saw her give it to what could only be a very young Severus Snape.  
  
"What are you doing? I don't want your bloody rabbit. Get out of here," he said looking slightly confused through his tears. He watched as Praline deposited the bunny on his bed and left. Severus flopped over on his side, facing the wall. Harry followed her and watched in growing amazement as she made several trips from the kitchen to Severus's room, each time carrying a rabbit and towards the end, sometimes carrying two. She left the rabbits on the bed with Severus or merely opened the door and pushed them in. But on her final trip she entered the room and dumped her last rabbit directly on top of Severus's head.  
  
"Wha- What are you doing? Quit bringing me rabbits! I don't bloody want them-" He had been laying on the bed with his back to the door, ignoring her repeated visits. As he sat up he saw the ocean of rabbits she had left for him. He gazed about the room in astonishment before his eyes came to rest on her small form standing at the foot of his bed.  
  
"Where in the world did you get all of these rabbits?" he asked, amazed.  
  
"Do you like them?" she asked politely, "They always make me happy when I'm sad."  
  
"You did this to cheer me up?" he asked.  
  
Praline nodded and broke into a sudden smile. "Would you like to see our phoenix? His name is Fawkes. He was just reborn so he's kind of shriveled right now. You should see him when he's in his 'prime' my grandpapa says, that's when he's quite breath-taking." Harry heard an unmistakable tone in her voice that made him think the child was directly quoting Dumbledore to impress her new friend.  
  
Severus wiped his eyes quickly with the back of his grubby shirt. "I didn't know Dumbledore had a granddaughter," he said.  
  
Praline nodded. "I live here with him now. He takes care of me."  
  
"Oh." Severus said. "Hey, where did you get all these rabbits?" he asked, suddenly remembering why he had spoken to her in the first place.  
  
"They're house elves," she answered, picking one up gently and placing it in her lap. She stroked its soft fur gently behind its ears and it settled calmly in her lap. "Most of them don't mind. I treat them very careful- like so they don't get hurt. It goes away after a little while." The small child surveyed the room before adding, "I've never done this many before."  
  
True to her word, several moments passed before one of the rabbits transfigured back into a house elf with a small POP!  
  
"That's amazing!" Severus cried, finally believing that she had actually done it. "You really can transfigure things! Turn them into something else! Can you make a dog? I've always wanted a dog!"  
  
Praline looked doubtful. "I- I don't know. I've only ever made rabbits," she admitted.  
  
"Well, do you think you can do it? Maybe you should just think of a dog instead of a rabbit," he suggested.  
  
Praline chewed her lip in concentration and then nodded. She took the rabbit from her lap and placed it at the end of the bed. Sitting back on her legs, she focused on the rabbit.  
  
POP!  
  
But something had not gone quite as planned and even Harry gasped when he saw the house elf pop into view wearing the head of a dog in place of its own.  
  
"Oh! Oh!" Praline gave a sudden furious shake of her head and the house elf turned back into a full elf. "I think I need to work on that one," she said, clearly embarrassed.  
  
"That's ok. That was neat though. You know a lot about magic. Did it take you a long time to learn that?" Severus asked.  
  
Praline looked at him; confused. "How do you mean?"  
  
"Who taught you how to do that? Does Dumbledore teach you magic?" he tried once more.  
  
Praline looked slightly amused. "He teaches me now, yea. But no one has to teach you how to change things, you just can," she said and gestured towards her rabbits who were slowly becoming house elves again and leaving quietly with a respectful nod at Praline who waved back cheerfully.  
  
"You learned how to transfigure things by yourself?" Severus whispered, clearly impressed. "Not everyone can do that, I certainly can't," he admitted.  
  
Praline smiled at him; somewhat sympathetically. She laid a hand on his skinny arm and moved to sit next to him. "Don't worry then. I'm here. I can do it for you," she offered as if it was no big thing.  
  
Severus's young face finally broke into a smile. "Thanks, thanks that's really nice of you to offer." He reached forward to pet a rabbit on his pillow and disappeared as the spinning darkness returned and Harry was gone, flying once more.  
  
Harry found himself standing beside what he recognized to be a fourth-year Praline, on the grassy lawn of the school grounds leading down to the pond. Directly in front of her, some distance away, was Severus Snape being held upside down, against his will, in midair, by Harry's father.  
  
"I've been here before," he said aloud, recognizing the scene at once.  
  
Harry watched as the young Praline raced towards her dangling friend and stopped suddenly when he crashed to the ground, still some distance away from her. Harry walked towards the scene and Snape's voice grew louder as he neared. Snape was yelling at a young Lily Evans, furious at what James had done and taking it out on her. When he called her a 'Mudblood' Harry noticed Praline freeze and go completely rigid. Her face went pale and she clenched her fists, tiny hands shaking with furious anger. Lily stormed right past them and Harry saw that Severus was back in the air and little Praline was on the move again.  
  
What happened next, if Harry had blinked, he would have missed it. Without slowing her pace, young Praline drew her wand and hurled the proper counter curse at Severus who promptly found himself crumpled on the ground again. As quick as lightening and as fluid as water, she turned her wand on a surprised James Potter.  
  
Expelliarmus!  
  
Though the figures of Sirius and Lupin were partially blocking her line of sight, her aim was dead on. James's wand flew from his hands and landed inches from the edge of the pond. Praline walked directly up to them, too young and sure of herself to know better. She stopped immediately in front of James and gazed at him calmly.  
  
"So whatta ya think Potter? Wanna have a go at it then?" Praline said a challenging gleam in her eye. She didn't have to say it out loud, her challenge made it clear that she was hoping for him to accept. James, Lupin, Peter and Sirius gaped at her; their jaws nearly hitting the green lawn with astonishment. Suddenly James burst out laughing and the others joined in.  
  
"Are you crazy? I'm not about to fight a fourth-year girl from my own house! Run along- what's your name? Praline isn't it?" he smiled down at her. "Your big friend doesn't need your help, little girl."  
  
"Call me 'little girl' one more time and the wand is in the pool before you know it. Touch Severus again and you and your little Moroners will be hanging from the trees. And if you so much as look at me wrong they'll be prying your wands from your crisp, still-smoking corpses," Praline growled. It was weird to hear her speak this way, Harry thought. Her young voice had a distinct chill to at, as if she were already utterly committed to what she was threatening.  
  
"This school is my home and when you do things like this you scare all the little ones with your stupid stunts. Do you honestly think we get a kick out of mean tricks like this? You're a Hogwarts student! Not some cheap Muggle, parlor-trick magician working a sideshow. So quit behaving like one!"  
  
The four boys fell silent, still quite shocked at her outburst and embarrassed they were being chastised by a bossy little girl who looked as if she couldn't be more than a first-year. "Alright, alright, you win," James held up his hands in defeat. "Let the lady have her way, a Gryffindor should never cross a fellow Gryffindor." He bowed low and grabbed a hold of Praline's hand and gave it a loud, squishy kiss before releasing it with a gracious flourish. Praline's mouth twitched but she held onto her serious expression.  
  
"I know you," Sirius said suddenly. "You're Dumbledore's granddaughter, aren't you? I've heard that from several older students. I've always wondered if it was true or just a rumor but I know now, there aren't many fourth-years that quick with a wand."  
  
"You're a fourth-year?" Peter exclaimed. "You don't look more than ten!"  
  
Sirius gave him an elbow in the side which almost sent him sprawling. "Don't listen to dear Peter, he's recently been hit on the head and goes a bit loopy sometimes," Sirius rolled his eyes indicating Peter, and then eyed her curiously. "I've seen you in detentions before, you remember? I'm kind of surprised you'd be so concerned with school discipline seeing as how your favorite pastime is torturing Peeves," he said, more to his friends then to her.  
  
Lupin's eyes widened, "What'd you do to Peeves?" he asked.  
  
Praline hesitated, unsure whether this was the time to be telling the truth. Sirius however, decided to share. "She knows this spell that hooks Peeves to her wand with some kind of invisible string. I've seen her fly him up and down the hallway like a kite. It's fantastic!"  
  
James and the others bent over at the waist with laughter, their eyes streaming. "That's marvelous! You've got to show us how you do that!" James begged through his tears.  
  
"Promise you'll leave Severus alone," Praline said, undeterred from her mission.  
  
"Oh alright, I was getting tired of him, anyway," James said dismissively, already forgetting what he had done moments ago.  
  
Praline however, had not. Harry could see she looked eager to get away and probably check on her slighted friend. But she hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask them the question that bothered her the most.  
  
"Why are you two always so mean to him? Is it really just because he exists? Are you honestly that cruel?" she asked.  
  
At these words, Lupin hid a small smile and cast a sideways glance at his two compatriots who were now on the chopping block.  
  
"No!" James replied heatedly. "He hates us just as much and for no reason at all! From the start he's had it in for us, he's constantly following us around looking for things to report us for. I can't even walk past the guy without him trying to hex me. It's annoying Praline, how would you like it if someone was constantly doing that to you?" he asked her.  
  
"As if," she snorted and crossed her arms.  
  
Sirius snickered at her reply but stopped when he saw his best friend's expression. "James is right, you're not in any of our classes, you don't know how it is. He gets away with anything in Potions and I, for one, am not going to take a face-full of bat boogey hexes lying down! If Snape wants to bully us we'll serve it right back to him on a silver platter, we're not going to take let someone like him push us around," Sirius said.  
  
"Or follow us around for that matter," Lupin added quietly. "In my friends' defense, Praline, James and Sirius have never hexed anyone that hasn't tried to hex them first. They may go a bit overboard sometimes," he admitted ruefully, "but what can I say? They're loyal friends, that's for sure."  
  
Lupin's words seemed to carry some weight with little Praline for she finally managed an almost imperceptible nod at him, showing she had heard what he said.  
  
"You know he doesn't like half-bloods, do you Praline?" Sirius suddenly asked her, a slight furrow in his brow.  
  
Praline gulped. "I heard what he said," she said softly.  
  
Sirius nodded but said nothing more, not sure if she wanted him to say more on the subject. Praline didn't.  
  
"Yea, well, my whole family's like that and I bloody hate it. Can't stand the summers when I have to be around the whole lot of'em. It's always filthy half-blood this, filthy half-blood that. It drives a person crazy! Think I'm gonna move in here with James pretty soon just to get away from. I'd rather put up with the smell of his feet than the rubbish that comes out of my mother's mouth," Sirius said jokingly.  
  
Praline smiled thinly. She was still confused about hearing Severus call someone a 'Mudblood.' He had never called her that before. "I have to go," she finally said.  
  
She turned on her heel and as she walked away, Sirius called out to her, "Pleasure talking with you again!"  
  
"Git," Praline muttered under her breath, but she smiled. Severus, as she had figured, was long gone. However, Praline knew where to find him as she walked up the steps to the castle and directly into an empty classroom on the third floor.  
  
"Did you mean what you said?" Praline's voice was low and calm. She stood in the doorway and watched a slumped Severus sitting on a low bookshelf and looking out the window. He didn't turn at the sound of her voice.  
  
"Severus-"  
  
"Go away."  
  
"No I won't, until I know you're alright and . . . that you didn't mean what you said out there," Praline finished weakly.  
  
"I meant every word of what I said out there!" he snapped.  
  
"Even when you called Lily a-," Praline swallowed but couldn't bring herself to say the horrible word.  
  
"Lily Evans is a filthy Mudblood, just like all her kind! Underfoot and substandard wizards at best! It burns me to think that Dumbledore coddles them like he does, if I didn't respect that man so much, I would be happy to be rid of them all!"  
  
Praline blanched. "Then you would be rid of me as well?" she whispered.  
  
This got Snape's attention. "What are you talking about? You're of Dumbledore's line, you're not Muggle-born," he said dismissively.  
  
"My mother was a Muggle, Severus. Not a drop of magic in her," Praline said, rigidly. "So what do you think of me now? Now that you know the truth, will you call me Mudblood to my face?"  
  
"You never told me that. Are, are you sure?"  
  
"Of course I'm sure you idiot!" Praline shrieked and stamped her foot. He had clearly asked the wrong thing. "I may not know where my mother is but I know who she is, thank you very much!"  
  
"I didn't mean it that way! I only meant, well, how can you be so advanced? You're so different from the other Mud, half-bloods, you're-"  
  
"How am I different, Severus? What makes me so special from the other, what else do you call them? Oh yes, I remember now, half-breeds, isn't it? Please, humor me for a second Severus, and tell me why, in a sea of Mudbloods, I'm . . . okay." Praline crossed her bony little arms across her narrow chest and glared at Severus, her anger heating her gaze like a boiler-room fire.  
  
"You're smarter than any Mudblood I've ever known. You've been doing controlled, complex magic before any of these pathetic souls ever even knew what a wand was-" Severus said before Praline cut him off.  
  
"I was raised in this castle you stupid git! I learned magic by watching and living with it, not because of my bloodline! Dumbledore could teach an army of Muggles to levitate if he really wanted to! My being good at magic comes from studying hard and pushing myself; not because my blood is somehow better than others." Praline argued.  
  
"You are wrong," Snape said. "You're different and you know it. Maybe you are a half-, part Muggle, but you're an exception to the rule. Praline, you're above those cretins out there, you have to be because I . . . I," Snape did not finish but turned his gaze back to the window.  
  
Praline nodded as if she had made up her mind and smiled grimly. "Fine, believe what you want to." She stomped back down the aisle and whirled around at the doorway to glare at him one final time.  
  
"I thought you were my friend Severus, and now I know you're just a hateful, prejudiced fool who enjoys bullying and looking down at other people. I know that you try to torture James and his friends just as much as they do you. They say that you've always hated them and they don't know why. But they're not going to take it lying down and I don't blame them. If someone pushed me around enough, I'd push back too. And as far as hating Mudbloods? Well I can do without a friend like that. You hate my kind, you hate me. It's as simple as that." With those parting words, Praline slammed the door behind her and Harry was once again sent spinning.  
  
He closed his eyes and when he opened them he was sitting in a seat at the Gryffindor table within the Great Hall. Little Praline sat a few seats away from him, staring morosely into her bowl of cereal. The adult Praline was seated next to Harry on his right, watching her younger self, a thoughtful look on her face.  
  
"Merlin's beard I was so small," she said aloud to no one in particular.  
  
The doors to the Great Hall banged open and the Marauders came crashing inside, laughing and slightly out of breath. They headed towards the Gryffindor table when Sirius spotted Praline sitting by herself.  
  
"Podmore!" Sirius called out jovially and gestured for his friends to follow him. He plopped himself down next to her and clasped her shoulder gently. "Why the glum look?"  
  
"Yea, Podmore, someone steal your owl?" James joked. He ran his hand through his hair and then rapped his fists on the table banging out a short beat. "Come on, you can tell us, we're you're mates now. Fellow Gryffindors and all."  
  
"Come on, Podmore, spill it," Peter pushed, echoing his pals.  
  
"S'nothin'," Praline mumbled.  
  
Sirius, Lupin and James exchanged looks with Peter remaining oblivious to it all, distracted by food. Sirius cleared his voice and tried again, this time in a lower voice. "Praline, you know there's no hard feelings about the other day," he cleared his throat, "to be honest you did the right thing. I admit it, we were behaving like bullies. But regardless, if you're in trouble or something's wrong you can tell us. We'll help however we can." Sirius leaned over and gave her a warm hug, planting a playful kiss on the top of her head.  
  
Praline looked touched and she blushed furiously at Sirius's attention. "Thanks you guys, really. But I'll be okay. There's really nothing you bunch could do to fix it. Someone idiots are just that and you can't change it. Best to just forget about them."  
  
A faint hint of comprehension was dawning in Lupin's eyes; Harry saw it. But Lupin kept silent and said nothing.  
  
"Well, our offer still stands if you change your mind and need some help," James said solidly. He looked to the others for confirmation and they all nodded at her.  
  
Praline finally gave a sad grin. "Ok, I guess you Marauders are alright. Hey, you know what, there is something you can do for me on second thought," Praline said, a grin growing on her face.  
  
"Name it," Sirius said.  
  
"I want you to tear Slytherin a new one for me during this Friday's game," Praline answered, feeling just a tiny bit better.  
  
"My lady," James got up from the table and bowed low with a wide grin, "consider it done."  
  
"Time to go Harry," an adult-size Praline stood beside him next to the table. "I dare say we've had enough for one night, don't you?"  
  
////////////////////////// Thanks to everyone who's reading. This is my first fanfic and I am really enjoying it. I love reading your reviews (and your stories!) so please post! Good or bad, constructive criticism is a good thing.  
  
I had to cover a lot in this chapter so forgive me if it ran on. There was history involved and you know how that can get. But now we're in the know and see what happens next . . .  
  
WingedUnicorn, thanks for all the encouragement, I'll keep writing if you keep readin'. Nymphean, thank you for such kind words, I've always liked Canadians ;) I'm also currently enjoying your work, Sky Blue and thought Tis the Season was quite funny and touching.  
  
Once again, if you like what you read, please take the time to tell a friend or fellow writer. I would much appreciate it and will always do the same. Until next time . . . 


	5. Harry's Trip

Disclaimer: All characters (except Praline) and universe from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling and assorted corporations. Original characters and story belong to the author. Now sit back and enjoy once more dear reader . . . Chapter Five  
  
Harry sat in front of the Pensieve once more, stunned by all he had seen that night. He was more confused now than ever before. Praline sat next to him, also still, with her hands folded neatly in her lap.  
  
"Pra-" Harry began.  
  
"Har-" Praline said at the same time.  
  
"You first," Harry said.  
  
"No, it's your turn to ask the questions," she said.  
  
"They weren't much different from Draco and me. Except, I think Malfoy probably wants to kill me for having his father thrown into Azkaban," Harry said.  
  
"Perhaps," Praline admitted, to his surprise. "Perhaps not, it's too early to tell. If he really comes after you, it'll be when he's older. He very well knows he can't do it now, not at Hogwarts," she said.  
  
Harry blinked, completely taken aback by her candidness. "Do you really think he'd try to kill me?"  
  
"Maybe not kill you but he probably wants to strike out at you in some way. Severus Snape is one matter, Harry. I know he's on our side. The Malfoys are altogether different," she said. "But like I said, you're more than a capable match for Draco. But that doesn't mean you should underestimate him."  
  
Her words made Harry grin for a moment. His gaze lingered over the fading images in the Pensieve. "You know, I'm glad my dad and Sirius stuck up for themselves. I know they overdid it sometimes, but I'd rather they did that then let Snape walk all over them like he does me. I miss Sirius, I could always go to him and bash Snape and he'd just listen. He knew how it felt. I just want to talk to him so badly. Do you ever feel like that? Like you'd give almost anything just to have him back for five more minutes?" he asked suddenly.  
  
Praline's eyes were wet and she stared at the table as she spoke. "Every day since the day he left. He's all I can think of most of the time. And when he died I felt like I had to be around someone who missed him as much as I did. I've never felt as alone as I do now. Before, I always knew that no matter what I did or where I went, there was always Sirius for me to come back to. Someone who accepted the way I was and didn't try to change me. And now he's gone. I know how much you miss him Harry, I know about the knots in your stomach, feeling like you're caught in some bad dream, and the rage, the absolute rage you feel when you think about who did this to him. I feel the same way. The night after it happened, I wanted to kill Bellatrix with my own hands. I've never wanted to use an unforgivable curse before but I knew that night, if I tried, I could have done it. It was stupid, I know that now. I didn't even really know where she was and I was ill prepared for battle," she admitted.  
  
"What stopped you?" Harry asked.  
  
"Lupin. He had been watching me and suspected I might try something like that. So when he saw me leave my hideout, he told me that if I'm going to start practicing the Dark Arts then I'd have to start with him. I stunned him but then I felt so bad about it I came back and took care of him," she said shamefacedly. "I don't know what we all would have done without him, back then. He's always been good at talking us out of doing truly stupid things."  
  
"Glad it was him instead of me, I probably would have gone with you," Harry said. "I still want to kill her, I can't help it. She took the last family I had." Harry realized what he had said when he saw Praline's face fall. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean . . ."  
  
"It's alright, Harry. I didn't plan to waltz in here and expect you to adopt me. You hardly know me. But if you did, you know, want to think of me as family, I mean maybe not now, maybe later on, you know you can," she rambled.  
  
Harry nodded, a sad smile playing about his lips. "Thanks but are you sure? My family tends to run into-" at this he stopped, not wanting to finish.  
  
"I'll worry about that Harry, I can take care of myself," she said.  
  
"So could Sirius," Harry answered darkly.  
  
"Harry, I promise you, when the time comes Bellatrix will be brought to justice. If not in a courtroom then on the battlefield. That was decided long ago. I'll see that she gets what she deserves but I am patient enough to wait for the right time," Praline said firmly.  
  
"You're not like Dumbledore," Harry said. "You're as angry as I am."  
  
"With age comes wisdom," she winked, "I guess I'm not that old yet." She yawned suddenly and looked at a large purple cuckoo clock on the wall. It was one-thirty in the morning. "Goodness, we've been up all night. You'd better get back to your dormitory. I'll take you as far as the tower so Filtch won't give you any trouble," she said, then glanced at him sideways. "Unless, you've brought your father's cloak?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
Harry chuckled and shook his head, he hadn't. He was now glad he had forgotten it for it meant a few more moments for him to ask her one last question. As they walked the halls and approached the tower, Harry asked, "Why didn't you two get married? You could have been my godmother."  
  
But Praline shook her head, not tonight her expression said. "Harry, let's save that one for later. I- It's been a long day, what do you say we call it a night? I could use some rest." Harry noticed how drawn and pale she had become and realized seeing all those faces again had been hard on her as well.  
  
"Yea, I'm pretty beat too," he admitted. They had reached the entrance to the tower and they faced each other for a moment; awkward and unsure of how to say good-bye. Harry felt he should hug her but didn't know how she would take it. The decision, however, was removed from his hands when she engulfed him in tight bear hug.  
  
"Good night, Harry. I knew I'd get attached to you. Sirius told me. He was right," she said a planted a kiss on the side of his head.  
  
He stiffened in surprise for a moment; but quickly relaxed and held her tight in return. Harry caught a whiff of her hair and was reminded of exotic blossoms he had only seen in Professor Sprout's biology class. She could have been my godmother. The thought leapt out at him from the back of his mind and it made him hug her even tighter.  
  
"Pigwhistle!" Harry said after climbing the stairs and reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was half-asleep in her chair and waved him through with a wave of her hand. The door to the common room swung open and Harry stepped through. Inside, Ron and Hermione had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the fire. Harry walked over to them and saw a large half-empty bag of pumpkin pasties between them. The two had dozed off sitting up and Ron was snoring quite noisily. His left arm was thrown over the back of the couch and had inadvertently come to rest around Hermione's shoulders. Her head had fallen forward onto Ron's shoulder. Harry observed the two of them and rolled his eyes. He couldn't wait to wake them up for the sheer excuse of seeing their expressions. Harry then saw Ginny and Neville seated at a table towards the back, a game of wizard's chess between them. They waved at Harry.  
  
"We thought we'd wait up for you. Hope you don't mind. These two, however, conked out half an hour ago," Ginny said in a loud whisper.  
  
At that moment, Hermione's eyes flew open. She saw Harry and then slid her gaze over to the person's shoulder which she was resting upon. Hermione sat up with a surprised jerk.  
  
"Enjoy your nap?" Harry asked with a grin.  
  
"We were just talking, we must have dozed off for a moment," she murmured, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Ron was still out, slack-jawed and unaware.  
  
"Wake up, Ron, Harry's back," Hermione said poking Ron in the ribs. Harry noticed she put a respectable distance between her and Ron before she spoke.  
  
Ron came awake with a snort. "Wha-just having something tah eat. Musta lost track a time . . . " Ron realized where he was and grinned sheepishly at Harry, still very groggy.  
  
"So how'd your date go Harry?" he teased. He yawned loudly and stretched before settling back against the couch as if preparing for a bedtime story.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.  
  
"I'm just teasing him, he knows that. Right, Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry nodded and smiled distractedly. "It's alright, Hermione. I'm not mad. I guess I had a good time. I dunno, it was kind of weird." He told the four about the first two scenes in the Pensieve but refrained from telling them about the incident with Snape by the school pond. However, he realized how much his friends still did not know about his dad's Marauders and Snape. They had no clue as to the amount of hostility that had run between them.  
  
He swallowed nervously and instead said, "she told me that Snape and the Marauders were always going after each other. Neither side ever let up so they just kept on antagonizing each other. I don't know how she managed but she was friends with both sides up until her fourth year."  
  
"What happened then?" Ron asked.  
  
"I'm not quite sure but she got angry with Snape for some reason," Harry said. "I think he might have called her a name or something." This was not the entire truth but Harry felt it was as close as he could get without revealing Snape's embarrassing secret.  
  
"What could he have called her?" Neville asked. He and Ginny had left their game of chess and joined the others by the fire. All eyes were on Harry but it was Hermione who spoke.  
  
"He called her a Mudblood, didn't he?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Well kind of. He might as well have," Harry admitted.  
  
"You mean Praline's a half-blood?" Ron burst out disbelievingly. He caught a look from Hermione and hurriedly explained himself.  
  
"I didn't mean it as a bad thing. It's just that, from what you told us, it's really rare for a half-blood witch or wizard to be able to do that kind of complex transfiguration at such a young age. Not to mention, learning how to control a poltergeist as strong as Peeves when you're only thirteen."  
  
"Eleven," Harry corrected him. He saw their looks of surprise and confusion and explained about Praline's early acceptance into Hogwarts.  
  
"That's amazing," Neville whistled. "No wonder Snape likes her; she's probably the one person he thinks is as good as he thinks he is." His sudden sarcastic comment took them all by surprise but they found themselves agreeing with his point. Snape looked down on everyone but Dumbledore and maybe, McGonagall. It made sense the one person he saw as his equal was blood-related to one of those two.  
  
"Neville's right," Hermione said, nodding her bushy head that was still slightly rumpled with sleep. "That explains why Snape was friends with her. He's not one to make friends unless he sees you as an equal. He must have felt that way towards Praline."  
  
"Snape's not one to make friends, period," Ron huffed. At this, Ginny nodded in agreement. "And if he only likes smart people, why is he so mean to you?" Ron asked, turning to Hermione.  
  
She blushed at the hidden compliment but tried to explain. "Because I'm a student, not to mention a Gryffindor. He met Praline when they were both children, before Hogwarts. I imagine she was kind to him when nobody else would be. She might be one of the only people that Snape can call a friend."  
  
"Well maybe it'll do us some good to have her here," Ron said. "Maybe, he'll be so distracted by her that he'll lay off us for a change. Hey, if he wants to stay on her good side, he can't very well go around harassing us, you think?" Ron looked from face to face for confirmation.  
  
"A silent Snape?" Harry finally asked. He shook his head slowly. "My life could never be that easy."  
  
"Well, distraction or not, it's good to have a real DADA professor again. Especially one that sponsors school clubs instead of banning them, right Harry?" Neville said.  
  
"Hmm, yea she is distracting-" Harry looked up suddenly. His mind had wandered at the thought of Snape and in his mind he was watching Praline and his Potions professor embrace all over again. But he suddenly realized how his words must have sounded and looked up in time to see everyone exchanging raised eyebrows.  
  
"Oh, come on. I don't fancy her, for Pete's sake, she's old enough to be my mother," Harry said.  
  
"Maybe, but she sure doesn't look it. You said she was two years younger than Sirius but she looks like she could be our older sister or something. Why is that?" Ron asked.  
  
"She's a Metamorphmagus that's why," Hermione said. "It's known that metas that spend long periods of time in another shape or form sometimes lose their sense of what they really look like. When they change back they often revert back to their younger selves. They still age like we do but they don't necessarily show it on the outside. Tonks told me about it summer before last when we were at Grimmauld Place," she continued, avoiding Sirius's name, Harry noticed. "As a result, they sometimes live longer just because their sense of spirit stays young. But so many of them are involved with undercover Ministry work, most of them die young because of their jo- OH, Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermione broke off turning a deep red as she realized what she was saying. "I'm such an insensitive know-it- all," she said as she buried her face in her hands.  
  
"S'ok," Harry said, but he looked slightly pale.  
  
"So let's get her to stay here permanently," Ron said, his eyes widening. "Why didn't I think of that before? Dumbledore said she was only temporary but what if we convinced her to stay?"  
  
"Ron I don't think it'd be that easy," Ginny started before Harry cut her off.  
  
"No, wait, Ron's right, actually. I mean, she came here to see me, right? Maybe if I ask her to stay, she would. Maybe she wants me to ask her. We're practically family, she could have been my Godmother if things had been different, I bet. We need a DADA professor and I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't mind his granddaughter being around more often," Harry said in a rush.  
  
Hermione tried to hide a doubtful look on her face and nodded. "Harry, that sounds great but maybe you shouldn't get your hopes up on Praline being able to stay. What if she can't Harry? Her work at the Ministry and all-"  
  
Harry stared at his friend for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Then I'll have to convince her otherwise," he said firmly. "I just hope Snape doesn't do something stupid and drive her away," he added grumpily.  
  
When Monday came, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville found themselves, as usual, under their Potions master's stormy gaze. But to their surprise, Ron's hopeful distraction seemed to actually be having an effect on Snape. By no means did he greet them at the door with a smile and a hug, which was a known impossibility; rather, he regarded them dismissively and treated them as he would the average Hufflepuff; neither kindly nor cruelly.  
  
Harry felt he had to test the boundary of just how far this civility would go when the class ran out of monkroot before his table had received any. Several other tables had not gotten theirs as well so Harry felt he had somewhat of a case.  
  
"Uh, Professor, there's no more monkroot left. We're short about three tables," Harry said.  
  
"Fine Potter, fetch some from my supply closet," Snape said not looking up from his desk.  
  
Harry was dumbfounded. Last Friday, Snape was ordering Harry to empty his pockets in front of another professor, now he was being given free access to his supply closet! Harry looked at the others, shrugged and turned to walk back to the cabinet. As he passed Malfoy's table, Draco suddenly stuck his foot out and caught Harry's ankle perfectly. The flawlessly executed trip sent Harry flying several feet forward where he landed inches from the doors of the supply closet.  
  
Snape's reaction was almost nonexistent. "Hexed your feet again, Potter?" he asked with a raised eyebrow before returning his gaze to the Slytherin who had just asked him a question. Harry realized it was Crabbe who had provided the distracting moment for Draco to strike.  
  
Harry ignored Snape's comment and got to his feet. He threw a murderous look at Draco who smirked back. Harry opened the closet and took out the necessary monkroot. In his mind, Malfoy was already hanging upside down with his robes around his head; his knickers on display for the entire world to see . . .  
  
"Need a hand?" Neville was suddenly at Harry's side. He took some of the monkroot from Harry's hands and counted out the desired proportions for each table. "Don't do anything now, Harry. Just let it go. We'll have our chance later on. It's just like Professor Praline said, 'One of your greatest weapons against your enemy is your patience.' It makes sense Harry," Neville waited until Harry nodded ever so slightly. Neville looked relived and took the monkroot for the other tables, leaving Harry with their table's supply. Harry closed the closet doors and walked back down the aisle. As he passed Draco's table, he stopped. Malfoy, who had been watching him approach, laid down his work materials and lowered his hand to his robe pocket where his wand was.  
  
There was a sudden silence in the room as all eyes, except Snape's, watched what was about to transpire. Electricity crackled back and forth between Harry and Draco. Each daring the other to strike. Hermione held her breath and Ron's eyes widened in anticipation. Neville only looked on calmly, waiting for Harry to make his decision.  
  
Harry stared at Draco, his hand hovering gently above his wand. Harry's gaze was calm and even; his expression seemingly carved of stone. Draco's smirk faltered for just a moment. Then, without a word, Harry turned away and walked back to his table. The voices of the other students slowly started back up again as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  
  
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked softly when he reached their table. "I can't believe you didn't hex him," she said, a note of pride in her voice. "Good for you to let him know he can't get to you-"  
  
"Neville talked me out of it," Harry interrupted her. "At least for now. No way is Malfoy going to get me stuck in detention with Snape. There's no way I'm missing Quidditch practice and DADA meetings for that stinking piece of cr-"  
  
"Harry," Ron murmured and he looked hard over Harry's shoulder. Snape had risen from his desk and was walking up the center aisle towards their table. He passed them and headed into his office which was just off to the right of the classroom. He disappeared inside for about twenty minutes before emerging.  
  
"Your potions should be complete. Pour what you have in your flasks and turn them in on my desk. I am leaving now to attend to an important task. For the remaining ten minutes you will clean up your stations and then you are dismissed. If I notice anything amiss upon my return, I will hold each and every one of you responsible and you will show this responsibility by serving two weeks of detention," Snape said and then exited the classroom.  
  
Most of the class had completed their potions and had just begun cleaning their tables and putting supplies away. As the door slammed shut behind Snape, Harry dropped the cutting board he had been rinsing, dried his hands, and headed straight to Draco's table. Neville watched him go and with a sigh, put down the herbs he had been carrying and took out his wand just in case. Ron and Hermione were right behind him.  
  
Draco saw Harry coming and walked towards him, meeting him in the middle of the aisle. They glared at each other, and as Harry walked up to Draco, he threw his arms out and pushed the blond teenager backwards. It was enough to knock Draco back a few feet but he didn't lose his balance.  
  
"That all you got Potter?" Draco spat in disgust.  
  
Harry's response was to push him again, sending him flying back a few more feet. "No, I've got plenty more but since I've got ten long minutes I figured I'd play around with you for a bit. After all, why hurry the pleasurable things in life?" Another push and this time Draco's back hit the counter and he could go no farther. Malfoy regained his balance quickly and knowing Harry could push him no more, finally drew his wand and pointed it at Harry. But he was too slow. Harry had his out the moment Draco had hit the counter.  
  
EXPELLIARMUS!  
  
Draco's wand flew from his hand and landed several feet away in a beaker full of thick, boogery goo. Harry watched his adversary's face as he saw his wand go flying from his hand.  
  
"That was so. Pathetically. Easy," Harry said. His words made all eyes in the class fly from the boogery wand back to him and Draco. "Tell me, Malfoy. Is it all the constant inbreeding that makes your family such bad wizards or are you just a special case? No, that can't be it. Come to think of it, your dad's aim isn't too keen either. I should know. I guess it's the genes then."  
  
At these words, Draco finally lost his control. With an enraged roar he rushed at Harry, his arms out, ready to tear his head off. With barely a thought, Harry sidestepped the furious boy at the last possible moment and landed a solid right hook straight into Malfoy's stomach. The blonde teenager crumpled to the floor, the wind knocked out of him completely.  
  
"You're pathetic, Malfoy. I finally see that now. You're not even worth my time. I've fought your father; do you really think I'm afraid of you? You're not half the wizard he is and personally, he blows. So, stay out of my way, Malfoy, I'm tired of your crap," Harry said, loud enough for the entire class to hear. He was seething inside and wanted nothing more to hang Draco by his feet but at the same time, a voice inside his head just kept saying it wasn't worth it. It was too easy to outwit Malfoy, and for Harry the challenge was gone. He had a prophecy on his head that stated he would have to kill the strongest of all Dark wizards someday. If that was the case, Harry didn't bloody care about some sixteen-year old git who couldn't even hang onto his wand for more than five seconds.  
  
Without taking his eyes off Draco, Harry aimed his wand over his shoulder towards his table. He gave the command for a Scouring Charm and heard the sounds of glass beakers, trays and herbs flying back to their respective homes. Then, without missing a beat, Harry stepped over Draco Malfoy and headed for the door. Harry pointed his wand over his shoulder once more as he neared the exit.  
  
ACCIO BAG!  
  
His book bag flew through the air and swooped dangerously low as it passed Malfoy's head. The bag zoomed towards Harry and he caught the strap easily with his free hand, never breaking his stride. As he pushed the door open, the bell signaling the end of class rang. He let it swing shut behind him and left Potions feeling well, kind of cool.  
  
Harry waited for his friends at the end of the corridor. A few seconds later, Hermione, Ron and Neville came into view. Upon seeing him, Ron's face broke into a wide grin and he slung his arm around his best friend's neck.  
  
"That was absolutely brilliant! Beautiful exit! My only regret is that Fred and George weren't here to see it. They would have paid a thousand Galleons to see Malfoy with four on the floor like that! It was beautiful, Harry, love your work," Ron said and grinned in admiration.  
  
"Well, even though I'm afraid you're looking down the barrel of two weeks of detention, I still think the little wanker got what he deserved," Hermione said, a note of rebellion in her voice. Her comments took the boys by surprise and she smiled mischievously. "I can't wait to tell Ginny," she said.  
  
"Do you think he'll run to Snape?" Neville asked.  
  
"Let him. You can't Prior Incantato a right hook," Harry said.  
  
"So Harry," Ron said, a sly gleam in his eye, "did it feel good?"  
  
"Like heaven," Harry said and grinned as they clattered down the steps and into the Great Hall for lunch. 


End file.
